We see the world around us in visible light. However, many of you may know that there are other types of lights, like ultraviolet, gamma rays, infrared or x-ray, to name a few, which we cannot see through our naked eyes, but by using specialised devices we can see the world around us in a unique view.

So today we are going to explore animals and birds in infrared — the light rays which catches the body temperature as warm or cold at http://coolcosmos.ipac.caltech.edu/imagegalleries/irzoo/zoo.html — (infrared zoo) the site with ample information and pictures related to infrared technology.

Infrared zoo is mainly focused on students of elementary level to middle school. The site is not detailed and, as the name suggests, you can choose animals or birds categorised on the main homepage. Clicking on any link opens a separate page of the selected animal with some basic information about it, its blood type and pictures taken from a thermal infrared camera showing actual differences between warm and cold-blooded animals.

Infrared also allows one to study how well feathers, fur and blubber insulate animals. While taking a tour of this ‘Infrared Zoo’, you can also gather information about the animals here that you would not get from a visible light picture. If you would like to learn more about infrared light and the infrared universe, visit Cool Cosmos, the actual parent site with more options for exploring the universe in infrared at coolcosmos.ipac.caltech.edu.

The site also has lessons featuring background information, pre-requisite skills and knowledge for students, a mini-exploration of infrared image technology, multiple image sets, assessment information, student worksheets, extension and transfer activities, and many other resources.

It is a Nasa education and outreach website for infrared astronomy and related topics, with information on all Nasa-involved infrared missions. It is hosted at IPAC (Infrared Processing and Analysis Centre), and funded by Nasa’s Spitzer Science Centre, at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

Enjoy your tour at http://coolcosmos.ipac.caltech.edu/imagegalleries/irzoo/zoo.html

Published in Dawn, Young World July 29th, 2017