infrared astronomy

American  

noun

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

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infrared astronomy British  

noun

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

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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.

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Etymology

Origin of infrared astronomy

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

At a meeting last week organized by NOIRLab, the U.S. national center for optical and infrared astronomy, researchers discussed a possible answer: not one big telescope, but many, their light combined by quantum technologies.

From Science Magazine • Mar. 19, 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

Indeed, from Earth's surface, infrared astronomy is virtually impossible because of all the infrared light generated on Earth from heat, and which is scattered in the atmosphere.

From Salon • Jul. 12, 2022

And while, in recent years, optical and infrared astronomy have been the hotbeds of research activity, Arecibo helped keep the radio telescope community alive and well, Freire says.

From Scientific American • Dec. 11, 2020

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