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First, the amount of radio radiation reaching Earth from space is tiny compared with optical wavelengths, so a large collecting area is essential. Second, the long wavelengths of radio waves mean that diffraction severely limits the resolution unless large instruments are used.

Interferometry allows light collected at widely separated telescopes to be combined in order to synthesize an aperture much larger than an individual telescope, thereby improving angular resolution by orders of magnitude.

An astronomical interferometer or telescope array is a set of separate telescopes, mirror segments, or radio telescope antennas that work together as a single telescope to provide higher resolution images of astronomical objects such as stars, nebulas and galaxies by means of interferometry.

This is known as interferometry. With interferometry, radio astronomers can combine the signals from many antennas, and even many telescopes. It allows them to create an image that is much brighter and sharper than what is possible from a single antenna dish.

Interferometry. As you can see, the resolution achieved by a typical radio telescope at typical radio wavelengths is not very detailed. To overcome this difficulty, radio astronomers use multiple radio telescopes at the same time, a technique called interferometry.

Because the wavelengths of radio light are so large (on the order of centimeters), a radio telescope must be physically much larger than an optical telescope in order to obtain the same resolution.

In order to make a clearer, or higher resolution, radio image, radio astronomers often combine several smaller telescopes, or receiving dishes, into an array. Together, these dishes can act as one large telescope whose resolution is set by the maximum size of the area.

Signals from two or more different radio telescopes are combined to produce a single image of greater angular resolution than from any one telescope alone.

"The advantage of interferometry for optical astronomers is that it can provide measurements of stars with a higher angular resolution than is possible with conventional telescopes.

An astronomical interferometer or telescope array is a set of separate telescopes, mirror segments, or radio telescope antennas that work together as a single telescope to provide higher resolution images of astronomical objects such as stars, nebulas and galaxies by means of interferometry.