How does a thermal camera/scope work?
In: Technology
A thermal camera or scope uses the same technology – a bolometer. A bolometer is just like a camera. However, while a normal camera is sensitive to visible light (like red/green/blue light), a bolometer is sensitive to infrared light. Infrared light is light that has a frequency “below” red light, which is light given off by “hot” objects, like people or animals. This is plain, regular light, but most normal humans cannot see this kind of light. Bolometers are arranged just like a normal camera — into pixels. Each pixel of a bolometer can detect “temperature”, which is composed into an image so that us humans can see it. Each pixel measures the incident infrared light that hits it. The more infrared radiation each pixel receives, the “brighter” each pixel appears.
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