So, for example: if I wore a black undershirt beneath a long sleeved shirt or jacket, would I be warmer than if I wore a white shirt? I know that you can “see” heat with infrared goggles, but are infrared light and heat basically the same thing?
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Heat is infrared radiation emitted by energetic matter. Infrared is also light, at a frequency beyond the red end of the spectrum. Our eyes can’t detect that light frequency. As a result, humans and warm blooded animals glow in that spectrum. We’re literally luminous, but aren’t aware of it.
Yes, black absorbs heat because it also absorbs almost all frequencies of light, allowing none of the colour frequencies to reflect back off it. So technically a black shirt underneath would be warmer, although thin fabric materials don’t absorb heat and store it very efficiently IIRC.
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