Infrared radiation has wavelengths that are longer than visible light. We recognize this as heat that we can feel, but cannot see. All objects emit infrared radiation.Thermal imagers sense infrared energy which varies according to temperature within each object. The imagers can translate what we cannot see into a visible image on a video monitor.

Thermal imagers sense infrared energy which varies with the temperature of each object in a scene. Infrared energy from the scene is focused through optics onto an infrared detector. The infrared detector then sends the information that it has recieved through signal processing which translates the signal into a viewable image on a video monitor.

Infrared cameras and thermal imaging not only let you see in the dark, such as in the pictures above, they also detect critical problems in buildings. For example: water underneath the surface of a roof, roof leaks, moisture in structures, electrical problems, and termite or ant infestations. The latest infrared technology is now incorporated into some vehicals, which lets the driver see thru fog, haze, and dust. This makes the driving experience much safer when driving through hazardous visibility conditions.

In the 1600's Isaac Newton discovered that sunlight could be divided into separate colors thru a glass prism. In the 1800's, William Herschel took Newton's experiment a step further by demonstrating that invisible light existed beyond the red end of the spectrum. The setup for the experiment involved a prism that formed the rainbow spectrum onto a table, and a row of thermometers with blackened bulbs, to absorb heat, placed in a row across the table.He measured the temperature of each color, and noticed a rise in temperature as the colors proceeded from violet to red.

He then aligned a thermometer with the spectrum, just beyond the red.This registered a rise in temperature higher that any of the visible colors. The other thermometers that were out of alignment for control purposes did not register the rise in temperature. Herschel derived that these calorific rays, later named infrared radiation, were much like visible light, and could not be seen because the naked eye is not sensitive to them. Herschel's experiment was the first time that anyone had proof that there were types of light that we cannot see with our eyes.