infrared astronomy

American  

noun

1. the study of infrared radiation emitted by celestial objects.

---

infrared astronomy British  

noun

1. the study of radiations from space in the infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum

---

infrared astronomy Scientific  

1. The study of celestial objects by means of the analysis of the infrared radiation they emit. Because infrared radiation can pass through clouds of interstellar dust or gas that absorb visible light, infrared astronomy enables the study of celestial objects or features that are undetectable by optical telescopes.

---

Etymology

Origin of infrared astronomy

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

The James Webb Space Telescope relies on infrared astronomy to interrogate points of light.

From Salon • Jan. 11, 2024

I was doing my graduate work in infrared astronomy at Imperial College in the 1970s, and one of the professors had been doing spectroscopic studies of zodiacal dust.

From National Geographic • Oct. 4, 2023

ESA has sent several spacecraft to L2, including its now-defunct Herschel Space Observatory, which, like Webb, studied infrared astronomy.

From Scientific American • Jan. 25, 2022

This simple fact provides one of the motivations for the development of infrared astronomy.

From Textbooks • Oct. 13, 2016

When he adds Wexford-Smythe University, we get pictures of a tree-lined campus and the course syllabus for their infrared astronomy program.

From "Linked" by Gordon Korman