What Is Infrared Light, and Why Can We Feel It but Not See It?

What Crafty Clover says in this video

Intro

Hi there, curious minds! I'm Crafty Clover! Let's discover something amazing. What is infrared light, and why can we feel it but not see it?

The Big Idea

Infrared light has waves a little longer than red light, so our eyes cannot see it! But warm things give it off, and we feel it as heat. You give off infrared light too!

Longer Waves

Step one: longer waves. Infrared light sits just beyond red in the rainbow. Its waves are a little too long for our eyes to see, so it is invisible to us.

Feel the Heat

Step two: feel the warmth. Warm things, including you, give off infrared light. We feel it on our skin as heat, like warmth from a fire.

Remote Flashes

Step three: remote controls. A TV remote sends flashes of infrared light to the TV. A phone camera can often see them, even though our eyes cannot.

A Closer Look

Let's take a closer look! Infrared is just beyond red light. Warm things give it off. We feel it as heat on our skin. And remotes use it to talk to the TV.

Quick Facts

Quick facts! Some snakes can sense infrared light from warm animals. Special cameras turn infrared into pictures, showing warm and cool places in different colors. People glow in infrared, but our eyes can't see it. Never stare at hot lamps or the Sun, and ask a grown-up first.

Think Like a Scientist

Now, think like a scientist! With a grown-up's permission, point a TV remote at a phone camera. Press a button and look at the phone's screen, not the remote. Do you see a faint purple flash? Your eyes could not see it, but the camera did.

Outro

Infrared light is invisible to us, but we feel it as heat. Science is amazing! Crafty Clover can be found on Amazon Books, Google Bookstore, and Apple Books. Available for purchase or download! Bye for now!