infrared telescope

American  

[in-fruh-red tel-uh-skohp] / ˈɪn frəˌrɛd ˈtɛl əˌskoʊp /

noun

plural

infrared telescopes

1. a telescope, used on the ground, in the air, or in space, that detects infrared electromagnetic radiation in order to observe celestial bodies emitting infrared radiation.

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infrared telescope Scientific  

1. A telescope, similar in operation to an optical telescope, that is designed to detect infrared radiation. Because infrared radiation is emitted by warm objects, infrared telescopes need to be shielded from local heat sources, as by chilling them with liquid nitrogen or locating them in polar regions. Many are placed on high mountains or are mounted on balloons or satellites in order to place them above the lower atmosphere, where water vapor absorbs much of the incoming infrared radiation.

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Example Sentences

The team was helped by a British-built infrared telescope based in the Chilean Andes.

From BBC • Jan. 27, 2024

The first pictures from the $10 billion infrared telescope were unveiled last July, six months after its liftoff from French Guiana.

From Washington Times • Jul. 12, 2023

The Near-Earth Object Surveyor, a long-anticipated space-based infrared telescope, would help locate more of these bodies, but it has faced repeated funding cuts and delays from NASA.

From Science Magazine • Dec. 14, 2022

For a little more than eight hours on 10 July, the infrared telescope observed the planet move across the face of its star.

From Scientific American • Aug. 30, 2022

Agents scan the cars with an infrared telescope to pick up body heat.

From "Enrique's Journey" by Sonia Nazario