Infrared in the Electromagnetic Spectrum

How Do You See Someone or Something That's Not There?

Do you like thermal cameras or night vision goggles? Have you ever thought about how, with these devices, we are able to see something or someone? The answer is Infrared. We interact with Infrared everyday as heat, but our eyes can't see the waves. An example would be a cup of coffee, shown below. That is why we use thermal cameras, because they show the Infrared waves. Even you give off Infrared waves, because our body has heat which emits the waves! Many people, with current technology, can change photos to look like it was taken from and Infrared camera, similar to the photo on the left.

The coffee mug is red, because of the heat. For more information on this picture click here.

Infrared (in-fruh-red) is one of the seven radiations in the electromagnetic spectrum. The wavelength of Infrared is about the size of a grain of sand. The wave source of Infrared is the thermal radiation. NASA creates infrared satellites for us to know more about Infrared. Some weather programs use Infrared cameras to show the height of clouds. Warmer clouds are lower and colder clouds are higher. The warmer clouds show on the infrared satellite as white and the colder clouds show as shades of yellow, red, and purple confirmed by a weather website. The same is for other Infrared devices, that the lighter colors are warmer and the darker colors are cooler.

The Spitzer Space Telescope created and launched by NASA is helping us see Infrared in other stars and planets.

Did you know firefighters use Infrared cameras to detect people in a burning house? The Infrared cameras let firefighters see through the smoke and to find objects cooler than the fire.

Infrared is heat. That is the reason for Infrared Saunas and Infrared heaters.

Have fun with infrared cameras and applications! Infrared is an interesting electromagnetic wave to learn about.

Still confused on what infrared is?

Part I:

Part II:

Check out this blog about a comet that was detected using Infrared!

Thank you NASA for all the information supplied on their website!

Citations:

“infrared.” The Free Dictionary. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2010. <http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/‌infrared+frequency>.

Lipnharski, Wagner. UST Research, inc. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2010. <http://www.ustr.net/‌infrared/‌infrared1>.

NASA. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2010. <http://science.hq.nasa.gov/‌kids/‌imagers/‌ems/‌infrared.html>.

Zoology

Do you love animals? Do you love Science? Well then have you ever considered being a zoologist? Zoology means the study of animals. There are many jobs that you can choose to pursue in zoology. Some include Aquarium, Aviculture, Mammals, animal training, research, veterinary care, and animal support. As an Aquarium zoologist, you have to take care of fishes, amphibians, invertebrates, and reptiles. If you want to be a member of the Aquarium department then you should like to scuba dive and be near fish. The job that requires the most science as a zoologist would be research. Jobs in the research department include Research Biologist, Geneticist, Field Biologist, Registrar, and Behaviorist. The main duties a Research Biologist must do is to plan, perform, and report experiments of the behavior of animals. Field Biologists research wildlife outside of the Zoo. Geneticists studies animals DNA. Registrars records information about birth rates and deaths. Behaviorists observe how animals interact and breed. Another field in zoology is a Veterinarian. A Veterinarian takes care of pet animals and works in what is like a pet hospital. So now that I have given you the overview of the job, the job that I would pursue would be in the Veterinarian field of Zoology. The main reason for my choice is, because I have an abundance of love for mammals. To be in the mammal field you have to love to interact with animals, which I enjoy. My goal is to help animals all over the world stay safe from abusers. The above information was found at THIS website. The below picture was found at a Animal Medical Center.

“Veterinarians diagnose and treat diseases and dysfunctions of animals.” said by the United States Department of Labor. Veterinarians treat pets, horses, and animals in Zoos. 77% of Vets treat pets. Being a Vet means you will have to treat injuries, find ways to cure diseases, and find diseases on animals that can spread to humans. This job appeals to me, because I love animals and I’d like to help them stay safe from abusers. I’d also like to reach my goal of putting an end to puppy mills, and Veterinarians help with that. I would like to work with small to medium sized animals such as my dog. Not too long ago, a Veterinarian from Everett, Washington helped save dozens of animals from kennels in Mount Vernon to help them get healthy again. I am hoping that when I get older that I can do that too. Below is a picture of one of the animals the veterinarians and volunteers rescued.

Picture in the top left was found here.

Below Video found on teachertube.com.

Are Wells America's New Telescope?

Are wells America’s new telescope?

The daylight sky appears dark enough from a deep well to view stars is an old myth. First off, who would want to go in a cold deep well to see if stars are visible? I wouldn't! It started with Aristotle who believed stars were visible from pits and wells. Later, even today, writers have used this myth in literature. The myth started, because a chimney or a well is long and narrow like a telescope. So the myth was created relating the well to a telescope, thinking that the naked eye would be able to visibly see stars with the aid of the well or chimney. Do they really help like telescopes?

On the left is a picture of a man standing below a chimney looking up to see if he can see the stars in the daylight, so you can get a better idea of how it is related to a telescope. This photo was found at http://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu//full/1983QJRAS..24..246H/0000254.000.html. Hynek, a man who has studied stars and ufo paranorma, wrote “…stars (not planets) cannot be seen from the bottom of deep wells, while the sun is above the horizon, 1^st-magnitude star falls below the threshold of sensitivity of the eye against a daylight sky… the sky was just too bright!” To sum that up, Hynek believed that the sun was just too bright for stars to be seen during the day. A star shines, because the gas inside is so hot that nuclear fusion occurs. Nuclear fusion is the process where two atoms clash together to form a new atom, and uses an abundance of energy that we see as light. Maybe the energy is not bright enough for the star to shine, so the people in the well can see it. This information was found at http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/askastro/answers/970304.html

http://www.snopes.com/science/well.asp

http://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu/full/1983QJRAS..24..246H/0000249.000.html

After testing the myth in 1946, it was concluded that the dimmest star would have to be 5 times brighter than the brightest star excluding the sun, called Sirius, to see it in open daylight. In a well or chimney it is possible to see Sirius in daylight, but the star would have to be right above the person’s view. So I guess America has rejected the idea of wells being our new telescope. Sorry for those who were excited that you wouldn't have to by the telescope, but looks like you will. You can see further with a telescope!

http://www.snopes.com/science/well.asp

Example of a star during the day. ******MOVIE NOT MADE BY ME!!!****** copyright to whoever made it. Skip to 1:04- star is actually a planet but a star would be even harder to see.

Smiley Face :)