What is infrared?

Infrared radiation is a sub-area of the light spectrum generated by the sun. This type of light, however, is invisible to the human eye; it only serves to radiate heat. This means that infrared rays, responsible for the human sensation of heat, are positive rays and cannot be compared with UV or microwave radiation or with X-rays.

Owing to their varying wavelengths and resulting mode of action, a distinction is drawn between three types of infrared rays:

•    Infrared-A, short wave
  780–1,400 nm (0.8–1.4µ) 3620K–2070K
•    Infrared-B, medium-wave
  1,400–3,000 nm (1.4–3µ) 2070K–965K
•    Infrared-C, long-wave
  3,000–10,000 nm (3-10µ) 965K–290K