Meanings
- informaluncountableAstronomy using observations using telescopes and recording media that capture visible light.
Since for the atmospheric windows in the NIR one normally uses the same telescopes as for optical astronomy, we will thus not distinguish between these
2006, Peter Schneider, Extragalactic astronomy and cosmology, page 253 more examples
Radio astronomy is an extension of optical astronomy in that it allows the observer to "see radiations of wave lengths far greater than those of visible light
1958 September 28, “Radio to Extend Astronomy's Ears”, in New York TimesMerely finding them in the first place — detecting their radio voices and photographing their odd and telltale light — was a cooperative triumph of radio and optical astronomy.
1966 March 11, “The Man on the Mountain”, in Time MagazineBecause each kind of light reveals different natural phenomena, we see only a part of nature. The same is true of telescopes. Optical telescopes detect only visible light. ... Dust is the bane of optical astronomy.
2009 June 16, “Cosmic vision”, in FrontlineSynonyms: visible-light astronomy
- uncountableastronomyAstronomy using infrared, visible, and/or ultraviolet wavelengths.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounAstronomy using observations using telescopes and recording media that capture visible light.
Cite this entry
optical astronomy. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/optical%20astronomy
“optical astronomy.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/optical%20astronomy. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “optical astronomy,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/optical%20astronomy.
Source: optical astronomy on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.