Advances on Direct Measurements of Astrophysical Reactions

When possible, direct measurements remain the most confident and reliable method of determining nuclear reaction rates. Yet each one comes with its own unique technical challenges, especially at the very low energies that correspond to stellar burning temperatures. Yet in the last few decades great strides have been made to overcome these challenges, including new recoil separators, high intensity accelerators, deep underground facilities and, of course, radioactive beam facilities, with new high intensity $\gamma$-ray beam and neutron target facilities on the horizon. In this talk I will give a brief overview of these advances in direct measurements that promise to dominate research in our field for decades to come.