Infrared thermography uses infrared radiation to create images based on heat patterns, with applications in medicine, military, meteorology, archaeology, and astronomy. Infrared radiation is part of the electromagnetic spectrum and is closely related to an object’s temperature. Thermography can detect subtle variations in heat and is used to observe environments in the absence of light. The use of infrared thermography for astronomy is limited by the Earth’s atmosphere, but can be employed by orbiting space telescopes.
Infrared thermography is a procedure for creating images using infrared (IR) radiation instead of light. IR is invisible to the naked eye, but is emitted or reflected by any object or creature that gives off heat. Infrared thermography, also known simply as thermography, creates an image based on the heat patterns of the imaged area. This has numerous technical and scientific applications, from military surveillance to astronomy. An image created by thermography is called a thermogram.
Infrared radiation is part of the electromagnetic spectrum, a broad range of harmless radiation that includes visible light, radio waves and microwaves. The wavelength of the radiation determines its nature and position in the electromagnetic spectrum. While the human eye can only detect a narrow range of this radiation, various technological devices can detect the rest. The wavelength of infrared radiation places it between microwaves and red light, just outside the visible spectrum. IR radiation close to the visible range can be captured with special cameras for IR photography; infrared thermography can capture IR radiation closest to microwaves, known as far infrared.
The IR radiation of an object is closely related to its temperature. As a result, infrared thermography can detect subtle variations in the heat emitted by an object, creature or person. Since all objects emit a certain amount of heat, thermography allows us to observe an environment in its entirety, even in the complete absence of light. A thermogram of a home, for example, might show the exteriors outlined in blue, but the interior sources of heat and energy, including people, as red objects. These features of thermography have multiple applications in a wide variety of fields and professions.
In medicine, for example, infrared thermography can aid in the early diagnosis of disease by detecting the high levels of heat caused by fever. Military personnel use thermal imaging for surveillance and operations when normal light sources would be dangerous. Meteorologists can detect temperature changes that indicate storms and other rapidly changing weather patterns. Thermograms of buildings can reveal ‘hot spots’, allowing technicians to find problem areas in ventilation or electrical systems before they cause failure. Archaeologists also use thermography to locate buried structures that absorb or reflect heat differently than the surrounding terrain.
Astronomers have used infrared radiation for decades, as it can detect celestial bodies beyond the range of ordinary telescopes. The use of infrared thermography for astronomy was initially limited because the Earth’s atmosphere absorbs and deflects so much IR radiation. Orbiting space telescopes, however, can employ thermal imaging equipment without such limitations. This equipment must be cooled to prevent external heat sources from distorting the data. Thermograms have been used to observe distant planetary bodies and newborn stars that have not yet begun to emit visible light.
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