What are infrared wavelengths?

Light is like a giant rainbow that we cannot always see with our eyes. Infrared wavelengths are the part of that rainbow that sits just beyond the red end.

Think about standing in the sunlight on a cool day. You feel warm on your skin, right? That warmth is infrared light hitting you. It is not hot fire, but gentle heat energy traveling through the air.

Imagine your body is a tiny heater. You are always sending out infrared waves, even when you are sitting still. These waves are invisible to us, but special cameras can see them.

Night vision goggles use infrared to let soldiers see in the dark. They catch the heat coming off people and animals. It is like seeing a warm glow instead of color.

You use this every day. When you point a TV remote, you are sending a quick burst of infrared light. The TV has an eye that catches this signal. No batteries are lost in the air. The light just travels straight from the button to the sensor.

So, infrared is just heat light. It is invisible, but you can feel it when the sun touches your cheeks. It is the reason winter coats keep you warm by trapping your own infrared waves close to your body.