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What is Infrared?

Infrared radiation has given humanity the ability to see beyond what the human eyes can see and explore beyond where any man has set foot before. From a military perspective to a civilian’s, the application of infrared technology is too useful to ignore. It’s no coincidence that someone who wanted to have a clearer view of the heavenly bodies thousands of miles above stumbled upon infrared light. It’s this inquisitive mind that has propelled man to shine a light on some of the darkest scenarios of human ignorance. Looking into the nature of infrared light is largely advantageous on our part. It gives us a better vantage point in infrared tech’s application. Such knowledge should allow us to extend…

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 A Quick Guide To: The Basics of Infrared

Infrared radiation, also referred to as infrared light or infrared waves, is a form of energy with frequency and wavelengths just below the visible light portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. Infrared was discovered by William Hershel in the 19th century while conducting experiments that measured the difference in temperature between the colors in the visible light spectrum. Herschel chose the name infrared, which is Latin for ‘below’ because he believed that they were located ‘below the red light’ on the spectrum. While the human eye cannot see infrared waves, we can feel infrared energy as heat. Any object with a temperature greater than 0°K will radiate infrared energy, however, the two of the most obvious sources of infrared are fire and the sun.

 Infrared heat is all the rage—and it may really come with health benefits

Infrared light therapy is more than just a trend: It’s showing potential in easing chronic pain, improving mobility, and boosting mental health. Here’s what you need to know before stepping into the heat.

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Biological effects and medical applications of infrared radiation

For billons of years, the sun has generated IR radiation and living organisms on earth have evolved to deal with IR radiation as an important environmental factor depending on their habitat. Many ancient therapies have applied sunlight for wound healing and pain relief.

Infrared Light – Infrared Radiation

Definition: Infrared radiation is a form of electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths longer than visible light but shorter than microwaves. Wavelength Range: Approximately 700 nanometers (nm) to 1 millimeter (mm). Location on the Electromagnetic Spectrum: Between visible light and microwave radiation. Importance: Infrared radiation plays a critical role in thermal processes, remote sensing, night vision, fiber optics, astronomy, and various industrial applications.

Infrared radiation in daily life and technology

Sun and fire are natural IR radiation sources. Practical application of infrared radiation mainly occurs in contactless transformation of heat, for example in the drying and processing of materials. More and more infrared-systems are also used for heating purposes in form of panels or foils, fixed to the walls or to the ceiling.

Infrared radiation – the effects of invisible IR radiation on the body

Infrared radiation, or thermal radiation, was discovered in the year 1800 by Friedrich Wilhelm (William) Herschel, musician and astronomer.

Infrared Therapy

Infrared (IR) or thermal radiation is a band of energy in the complete electromagnetic spectrum. IR are the radiations of longer wavelength than the red end of the visible spectrum and extend to the microwave region, i.e., from 760 nm to 1 mm. IR radiation is generated by Sun. Many ancient therapies have utilized sunlight for wound healing and pain relief. When Sun rays reach the ground, they get absorbed by gases or water molecules in the atmosphere. The human body is made of 70% water, so it can potentially accumulate a large amount of energy that could modulate biological processes by strong resonant absorption of IR radiation from sunlight mediated by water molecules.

Infrared Waves

Infrared waves, or infrared light, are part of the electromagnetic spectrum. People encounter Infrared waves every day; the human eye cannot see it, but humans can detect it as heat. A remote control uses light waves just beyond the visible spectrum of light—infrared light waves—to change channels on your TV. This region of the spectrum is divided into near-, mid-, and far-infrared. The region from 8 to 15 microns (µm) is referred to by Earth scientists as thermal infrared since these wavelengths are best for studying the longwave thermal energy radiating from our planet.

Is there a difference between thermal radiation and infrared radiation?

Yes, there is a meaningful distinction between the terms "thermal radiation" and "infrared radiation". With that said, there can be significant overlap between these two terms, which is probably why many people use these terms interchangeably in everyday life. "Thermal radiation" is electromagnetic radiation with any frequency that is created by the thermal emission process (not just infrared frequencies), while "infrared radiation" is electromagnetic radiation with a frequency in the specific range of 0.3 THz to 400 THz that is created by any process (not just the thermal radiation process).

Near, Mid and Far-Infrared

Infrared radiation is emitted by any object that has a temperature (ie radiates heat). So, basically all celestial objects emit some infrared. The wavelength at which an object radiates most intensely depends on its temperature. In general, as the temperature of an object cools, it shows up more prominently at farther infrared wavelengths. This means that some infrared wavelengths are better suited for studying certain objects than others.

What Is Infrared Radiation?

Infrared radiation (IR), sometimes known as infrared light, is electromagnetic radiation (EMR) with wavelengths longer than those of visible light. Hence, it is undetectable by the human eye, although IR of wavelengths up to 1050 nanometers (nm) from specially pulsed lasers can be seen by humans under certain conditions.

What Is Infrared?

Infrared radiation (IR), or infrared light, is a type of radiant energy that's invisible to human eyes but that we can feel as heat. All objects in the universe emit some level of IR radiation, but two of the most obvious sources are the sun and fire.

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Energy Education

Even though infrared radiation cannot be seen by the human eye, it can definitely be felt. Infrared energy is felt as heat because it interacts with molecules by exciting them, causing them to move faster which increases the internal temperature of the object absorbing the infrared energy. Although all wavelengths of radiant energy will heat surfaces that absorb them, infrared radiation is most common in daily life because of the "ordinary" objects that emit it as radiant heat...