This has provided astronomers with data on stellar objects that can't be obtained from the surface of the earth. An example of such a satellite was the International Ultraviolet Explorer, which was launched in 1978. Infrared Radiation is the third type of radiation we researched on. The wavelengths of infrared radiation are shorter than those of radio waves and longer than those of light waves. Infrared radiation may be detected as heat.
Astronomers use instruments such as bolometers to detect it.
Infrared radiation is useful for obtaining pictures of distant objects not clearly visible to the naked eye. The objects it is used to view are usually blocked by haze and antimatter particles, because visible light is scattered by haze but infrared radiation is not. Infrared radiation is used by astronomers to observe stars and nebulas that are invisible in ordinary light or that emit radiation in the infrared portion of the spectrum. An opaque filter, that only lets infrared radiation go through, is used for very precise infrared photographs. However a standard orange or light-red filter, which absorbs blue and violet light, is usually adequate for most infrared pictures.