: How does the human body emit infrared light ?

Question

If infrared light is a type of radiation emmited by atmospheric molecules how is it that the human body ‘glows’ so much more than its surroundings?

In: 4

Answer 1

>If infrared light is a type of radiation emmited by atmospheric molecules

I’m not sure what you mean by this. Perhaps you are thinking of something else, maybe cosmic rays?

Infrared light is radiation emitted by *all matter* that is above absolute zero. The hotter the object the more infrared light it emits.

We humans tend to be hotter than our surroundings, so we “glow” relative to it.