Editing Infrared (section)

=== Thermography ===

[[File:STS-3 infrared on reentry.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.7|Thermography helped to determine the temperature profile of the [[Space Shuttle thermal protection system]] during re-entry.]]{{Main|Thermography}}
Infrared radiation can be used to remotely determine the temperature of objects (if the emissivity is known). This is termed thermography, or in the case of very hot objects in the NIR or visible it is termed [[pyrometry]]. Thermography (thermal imaging) is mainly used in military and industrial applications but the technology is reaching the public market in the form of infrared cameras on cars due to greatly reduced production costs.

[[Thermographic cameras]] detect radiation in the infrared range of the electromagnetic spectrum (roughly 9,000–14,000 nm or 9–14&nbsp;μm) and produce images of that radiation. Since infrared radiation is emitted by all objects based on their temperatures, according to the black-body radiation law, thermography makes it possible to "see" one's environment with or without visible illumination. The amount of radiation emitted by an object increases with temperature, therefore thermography allows one to see variations in temperature (hence the name).