Thermal radiation
Thermal radiation is radiation that things make because they are warm. It may be felt as heat or seen as light.[1] It is a form of heat transfer that is moved from one place to another by electromagnetic radiation waves or rays. It does not require a form of matter to be transferred. Any matter which is at any temperature above absolute zero (0 K or -273°C) gives out and absorbs thermal radiation. Like light, thermal radiation travels through vacuum at a speed of approximately 3X10^8 metres per second. Thermal radiation can also travel in all directions. Dark, dull surfaces give out more thermal radiation while bright and shiny surfaces give out comparatively less thermal radiation. Those surfaces which give out thermal radiation well also absorb thermal radiation well.
For example a person in front of a fire can warm up because of the light of the fire, even if the air is cold.[2]
Another example of thermal radiation is the heat that comes from the Sun to the Earth.
Warmer things make more radiation, and the electromagnetic waves are shorter. Most things on Earth are warm enough to make infrared radiation. Incandescent light bulbs are so hot, their radiation includes visible light.
Thermal Radiation Media
The peak wavelength and total-s radiated amount vary with temperature according to Wien's displacement law. Although this shows relatively high temperatures, the same relationships hold true for any temperature down to absolute zero.
Thermal radiation in visible light can be seen on this hot metalwork. Its emission in the infrared is invisible to the human eye. Infrared cameras are capable of capturing this infrared emission (see Thermography).
Spectral response of two paints and a mirrored surface, in the visible and the infrared. From NASA.
Radiant heat panel for testing precisely quantified energy exposures at National Research Council, near Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
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Spectral response of two paints and a mirrored surface, in the visible and the infrared. From NASA.
Power emitted by a black body plotted against the temperature according to the Stefan–Boltzmann law.
