TheHistoryOf.net

Since the primary source of infrared radiation is emitted through heat and thermal radiation, any and all objects that have temperature, have a certain temperature-emitting rate that can be picked up by infrared wavelength-sensing technology. Even super-cold temperatures, like dry ice, radiates in infrared. A good example of heat radiation would be a hot plate. Although a hot plate does not give off light, it still emits infrared radiation in the form of heat. Generally, the warmer an object is, the more infrared it emits in the form of heat. So where do we see infrared?

Planet Earth

A little piece of history. When scientists and philosophers believed the world to be flat, no one had the ability to question them. You look out into the horizon, and it just seemed like this world had an edge and you would fall right out of the Earth. During the age of the Crusaders, they made it their mission to prove these theories wrong and to discover new lands.

In 1966, Neil Armstrong landed on the moon. He looked back out to see just how round our world is. He noticed that the world didn’t have buildings sticking out like a topography map. Earth appeared as a blue ball, with patches of green land and white clouds. Then, in 1986, a scientist used a picture of the Earth taken by a spacecraft, and modified the image using IR technology. He used a scheme of 256 colors to give the Earth a more dramatic look.

The outcome of the picture was astounding. Not only did the image display more detail than ever, it allowed scientist to better study the different relations of wind patterns and structures clouds near water or near land. Clouds could be seen as white from the photograph, but with infrared technology, cloud depth and movement became available. Hurricanes and tornadoes are now better predicted, using infrared imaging to determine higher and lower pressures. Weather patterns have become more accessible to meteorologists, and the best part of it all is, we can take beautiful pictures of everyday things using infrared cameras.

Humans

Human beings have a certain body temperature that remains constant, unless someone has a fever or a cold. Generally, we radiate at our strongest wavelength at normal body temperature. An infrared camera can display the different heat signatures emitted from different parts of our bodies. What makes this possible is an infrared detector inside the device. However, most cameras have an infrared filter that prevents the detection of the waves. Without that filter, many cameras would not be able to take pictures without detecting the different heat signatures of every object. You can also customize to use false colors, which is an amazing feature that allows you to see pictures in a unique way. So instead of seeing a clear “visible” light energy picture with the regular colors, such as green grass and blue sky, what would be displayed is a picture with bright and dark reds, yellows, blues on the earth, oranges and black, to name a few.

About the Author

Melissa Cameron understands what it is like to need balance in a busy day with a spouse, children and elderly parents. When she does have a bit of spare time, she enjoys scrap-booking and writing and hopes to realize her goals as a freelance writer online so she can work at home. Melissa loves surfing the internet, looking for deals and learning new things.