Infrared light refers to a band of thermal radiation located on the electromagnetic spectrum. It has a wavelength that is shorter than radio waves and longer than visible light.

Harnessing infrared light has allowed scientists to make many incredible breakthroughs in almost every field that you could possibly imagine. Whilst humans can’t see infrared waves, certain technology can be used to view it and target it, and the number of uses for infrared technology grows vaster every single year.

Here are just a few of the most impressive ways that humans use infrared:

Police Tracking

Humans can’t see infrared radiation, but they do emit it, and they have developed technology that allows us to see these emissions.

Those cameras the police use to track their targets that reveal human shapes through walls and in the dead of night? Infrared cameras.

Without infrared technology being developed there would be a lot more bad guys out there than there are.

Infrared Saunas

Infrared saunas have made a remarkable impact in the health and wellbeing sector, and are now a common sight in many elite performance facilities, gyms, and the homes of savvy individuals.

Infrared light heats objects rather than an area and when you are sat in a sauna you become the target of its attention. Deep penetrating infrared rays are renowned for their healing capabilities and ability to provide more effective relief and recovery than more traditional electric or wood powered saunas. It helps that infrared saunas for the home have never been more affordable, and that many major health and wellbeing gurus have waxed lyrical about their effectiveness in recent times.

Home heating

It is not only sauna manufacturers who have notices the efficiency of infrared heat. Infrared heating panels are not commonplace in UK homes yet, but there is significant interest in their potential.

Unlike gas boilers, the UK’s most popular heating source, infrared panels are 100% energy efficient, giving you the ultimate band for your buck when it comes to home heating.

Even better, infrared panels can be used to compliment traditional heating systems, giving you a welcome boost in key zones.

Weather

Meteorologists utilise infrared satellites to measure the temperature and radiance of clouds and the ground to help them predict the weather and track trends in temperature.

Many of the details we have come to take for granted in the weather forecasts we see online and on TV are only possible due to infrared based technology.

Astronomy

Many objects in space are so far away that human technology is unable to detect them in the visible light spectrum. Often, however, they can be detected using infrared and we are aware of many planets, stars and nebulae solely due to the infrared energy that they produce.

As infrared light has longer wavelengths to visible light it can travel further through dust in space that visible light, making it even easier to spot far away galaxies and planets far away from home.