We have witnessed a revolution in the history of science. Not the sort of revolution that philosophers of science once believed in—they don't happen any more—but a revolution brought about by new tools, different ways of seeing, and novel ways of understanding. Nothing old needed to be overthrown to make way for the new.
The future of science will be increasingly dominated by artificial images and simulations.

Preface - Cosmic Imagery: Key Images in the History of Science (2008)