What Is Infrared Radiation?

Infrared radiation is made up of electromagnetic waves of a particular wavelength just beyond what we
can see on the red side of the spectrum. They were first discovered by William Herschel around 1800.

Other electromagnetic waves include radio, microwaves, visible light, ultraviolet, x-rays, and gamma
rays, but electromagnetic waves that are between 700 nm and 1 mm are classed as infrared. 1
millimeter is equal to 1,000,000 nanometers!

Infrared is all around us: Most warm objects, including the human body, release radiation of this
wavelength, heat-sensitive cameras work by detecting infrared radiation, and half of the energy emitted
by the sun is infrared.

Uses of Infrared Technology Radiation

One of the most common uses of infrared radiation is in heat-sensitive thermal imaging cameras. These
can be used to study human and animal body heat patterns, but more often, they are used as night-
vision cameras. These have uses in warfare, as security cameras and in nocturnal animal research.

Infrared Image of a Human

Most remote controls operate by sending pulses of infrared, spelling out codes that an electronic device
will recognize. This includes TV remotes, DVD players, projectors, etc. Infrared is often used to send
signals through fiber optic cables, particularly when using standard silica fibers. Fiber optic cables are
commonly used to transmit audio to sound systems and for high-speed Internet connections.

Infrared is also widely used in astronomy. Taking pictures of the universe in infrared can lead to some
amazing discoveries. Astronomers can look at an area of the sky that appears empty and dark in the
visual part of the electromagnetic spectrum and find the area full of activity in the infrared. Since most
objects that are at all hot produce infrared radiation, whereas plenty of objects do not produce visible
light, it is a vital tool in observational astronomy.
Infrared radiation damages the eyes and the skin and contributes to the greenhouse effect.

Explanation:

1. Eye damage

The human eye is sensitive to all radiation, including infrared radiation.IR raises the internal
temperature of the eye, virtually “baking” it.Prolonged IR exposure can lead cataracts, corneal ulcers,
and retinal burns.Don't stare at the sun!

2. Skin Damage

The infrared radiation in the sunlight damages skin.In direct sunlight, the temperature of human skin
rises to about 40°C as it converts the absorbed IR into heat.The result of a brief exposure is
sunburn.Prolonged IR exposure induces new blood vessels to form from pre-existing ones in the skin.It
causes unusual growth and migration of skin cells and changes structural proteins in the skin, and this
adds to premature skin ageing.

4. Greenhouse effect

The earth’s surface and the clouds above it absorb radiation from the sun’s rays and re-emit it as
infrared radiation back out into the atmosphere.When the air above the earth’s surface has a high
concentration of oxides of sulfur and nitrogen, water vapour, and chemicals such as
chlorofluorocarbons, the infrared radiation becomes trapped on the earth.
Thermography is a test that uses an infrared camera to detect heat patterns and blood flow in body
tissues. Digital infrared thermal imaging (DITI) is the type of thermography that's used to diagnose
breast cancer. DITI reveals temperature differences on the surface of the breasts to diagnose breast
cancer.

The original purpose of night vision was to locate enemy targets at night. It is still used extensively by
the military for that purpose, as well as for navigation, surveillance and targeting. Police and security
often use both thermal-imaging and image-enhancement technology, particularly for surveillance.

The weather satellite is a type of satellite that is primarily used to monitor the weather and climate of
the Earth. Satellites can be polar orbiting, covering the entire Earth asynchronously, or geostationary,
hovering over the same spot on the equator.

A non-contact infrared thermometer is useful for measuring temperature under circumstances where
thermocouples or other probe-type sensors cannot be used or do not produce accurate data for a
variety of reasons.

Infrared homing is a passive weapon guidance system which uses the infrared (IR) light emission from a
target to track and follow it. ... During the war, German engineers were working on heat seeking missiles
and proximity fuses, but did not have time to complete development before the war ended.

The main technology used in home remote controls is infrared (IR) light. The signal between a remote
control handset and the device it controls consists of pulses of infrared light, which is invisible to the
human eye but can be seen through a digital camera, video camera or a phone camera.
The trapped radiation causes increased temperatures and changes in weather that could be harmful to
people and animals
Image From Infrared Astronomy

One issue with infrared astronomy is that infrared tends to be absorbed by water vapor in the
atmosphere. Positioning telescopes at high altitudes can help reduce this issue, as can putting
telescopes in balloons or planes. However, since the Hubble Space Telescope was launched in 1990, we
have entered a new era in infrared astronomy - space telescopes are able to conduct infrared
photography with no interference from the Earth's atmosphere whatsoever. As a result, we have some
stunning images that we could never have achieved on Earth.