This would not matter, of course, if the newly explored infrared were devoid of interesting features. Many of the most fundamental mysteries of astronomy can only be studied in the infrared. Hence, IR observations can probe the Universe as it was when it was only a fraction of its present age.
Dust is a very effective absorber and re-radiator of optical and ultraviolet light.
Therefore, much of the radiant energy in the Universe is found in the infrared. The only way to peer into the obscured cocoons of star formation and into the heart of dusty galaxies is through infrared eyes. The resulting IR spectral features are important diagnostic tools for understanding physical conditions and processes in planetary atmospheres, interstellar clouds, and in distant galaxies. A portable infrared television camera will be the central element of this module. Infrared radiation is not so dissimilar from visual radiation that one has to completely abandon the comfortable precepts established through everyday experiences.