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The term observational astronomy covers that part of astronomy/astrophysics that gathers information via observation, as opposed to theorizing explanations for what has been observed. Specialists in observational astronomy generally specialize in some particular portion of the EMR spectrum, e.g., radio astronomy, millimeter astronomy, infrared astronomy, optical astronomy, ultraviolet astronomy, X-ray astronomy, or gamma-ray astronomy (or specialize in one of the non-EMR "messengers", such as cosmic ray astronomy, neutrino astronomy or gravitational wave astronomy). Knowledge required includes details of the spectral band, how instruments and telescopes function, and the affects of Earth atmosphere on observation, as well as knowledge of the type of target being pursued.