One can determine  indirectly (via its relation with the structure factor ) using neutron scattering or x-ray scattering data. The technique can be used at very short length scales (down to the atomic level) but involves significant space and time averaging (over the sample size and the acquisition time, respectively). In this way, the radial distribution function has been determined for a wide variety of systems, ranging from liquid metals to charged colloids. Going from the experimental  to  is not straightforward and the analysis can be quite involved.
It is also possible to calculate  directly by extracting particle positions from traditional or confocal microscopy. This technique is limited to particles large enough for optical detection (in the micrometer range), but it has the advantage of being time-resolved so that, aside from the statical information, it also gives access to dynamical parameters (e.g. diffusion constants) and also space-resolved (to the level of the individual particle), allowing it to reveal the morphology and dynamics of local structures in colloidal crystals, glasses, gels, and hydrodynamic interactions.
Direct visualization of a full (distance-dependent and angle-dependent) pair correlation function was achieved by a scanning tunneling microscopy in the case of 2D molecular gases.