Editing Observational astronomy (section)

=== Late 20th-century developments ===
The last part of the twentieth century saw rapid technological advances in astronomical instrumentation. Optical telescopes were growing ever larger, and employing [[adaptive optics]] to partly negate atmospheric blurring. New telescopes were launched into space, and began observing the universe in the [[infrared]], [[ultraviolet]], [[x-ray]], and [[gamma ray]] parts of the electromagnetic spectrum, as well as observing [[cosmic ray]]s. Interferometer arrays produced the first extremely high-resolution images using [[aperture synthesis]] at radio, infrared and optical wavelengths. Orbiting instruments such as the [[Hubble Space Telescope]] produced rapid advances in astronomical knowledge, acting as the workhorse for visible-light observations of faint objects. New space instruments under development are expected to directly observe planets around other stars, perhaps even some Earth-like worlds.

In addition to telescopes, astronomers have begun using other instruments to make observations.