Basics of Infrared Thermometry      73- 
7  Basics of Infrared Thermometry 
Depending on the  temperature  each object emits a  certain amount of  infrared  radiation. A  change  in the 
temperature of the object is accompanied by a change in the intensity of the radiation.  
Searching for new optical material William Herschel by chance found the infrared radiation in 1800. 
 
Figure 43: William Herschel (1738-1822) 
He blackened the peak of a sensitive mercury thermometer. This thermometer, a glass prism that led sun 
rays onto a table made his measuring arrangement. With this, he tested the heating of different colors of the 
spectrum. Slowly moving the peak of  the blackened thermometer  through the  colors  of the spectrum,  he