Query: Satellite measurements of infrared spectra over the past 40 years observe less energy escaping to space at the wavelengths associated with CO2.

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Satellite temperature measurements <=SEP=> The temperature of the atmosphere at various altitudes as well as sea and land surface temperatures can be inferred from satellite measurements . These measurements can be used to locate weather fronts , monitor the El Niño-Southern Oscillation , determine the strength of tropical cyclones , study urban heat islands and monitor the global climate . Wildfires , volcanos , and industrial hot spots can also be found via thermal imaging from weather satellites .   Weather satellites do not measure temperature directly . They measure radiances in various wavelength bands . Since 1978 microwave sounding units ( MSUs ) on National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration polar orbiting satellites have measured the intensity of upwelling microwave radiation from atmospheric oxygen , which is related to the temperature of broad vertical layers of the atmosphere . Measurements of infrared radiation pertaining to sea surface temperature have been collected since 1967 .   Satellite datasets show that over the past four decades the troposphere has warmed and the stratosphere has cooled . Both of these trends are consistent with the influence of increasing atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases .

European Southern Observatory <=SEP=> The European Southern Observatory ( ESO , formally : European Organization for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere ; Organisation Européenne pour des Recherches Astronomiques dans l'Hémisphere Austral ) is a 16-nation intergovernmental research organization for ground-based astronomy . Created in 1962 , ESO has provided astronomers with state-of-the-art research facilities and access to the southern sky . The organisation employs about 730 staff members and receives annual member state contributions of approximately $ 131 million . Its observatories are located in northern Chile .   ESO has built and operated some of the largest and most technologically advanced telescopes . These include the New Technology Telescope , an early pioneer in the use of active optics , and the Very Large Telescope ( VLT ) , which consists of four individual telescopes , each with a primary mirror 8.2 metre across , and four smaller auxiliary telescopes . The Atacama Large Millimeter Array observes the universe in the millimetre and submillimetre wavelength ranges , and is the world 's largest ground-based astronomy project to date . It was completed in March 2013 in an international collaboration by Europe ( represented by ESO ) , North America , East Asia and Chile .   Currently under construction is the European Extremely Large Telescope . It will use a 39.3-metre-diameter segmented mirror , and become the world 's largest optical reflecting telescope when operational in 2024 . Its light-gathering power will allow detailed studies of planets around other stars , the first objects in the universe , supermassive black holes , and the nature and distribution of the dark matter and dark energy which dominate the universe .   ESO 's observing facilities have made astronomical discoveries and produced several astronomical catalogues . Its findings include the discovery of the most distant gamma-ray burst and evidence for a black hole at the centre of the Milky Way . In 2004 , the VLT allowed astronomers to obtain the first picture of an extrasolar planet ( 2M1207b ) orbiting a brown dwarf 173 light-years away . The High Accuracy Radial Velocity Planet Searcher ( HARPS ) instrument installed in another ESO telescope led to the discovery of extrasolar planets , including Gliese 581c -- one of the smallest planets seen outside the solar system .

Infrared <=SEP=> Infrared radiation , or simply infrared or IR , is electromagnetic radiation ( EMR ) with longer wavelengths than those of visible light , and is therefore invisible , although it is sometimes loosely called infrared light . It extends from the nominal red edge of the visible spectrum at 700 nanometers ( frequency 430 THz ) , to 1000000 nm ( 300 GHz ) ( although people can see infrared up to at least 1050 nm in experiments ) . Most of the thermal radiation emitted by objects near room temperature is infrared . Like all EMR , IR carries radiant energy , and behaves both like a wave and like its quantum particle , the photon .   Infrared was discovered in 1800 by astronomer Sir William Herschel , who discovered a type of invisible radiation in the spectrum lower in energy than red light , by means of its effect on a thermometer . Slightly more than half of the total energy from the Sun was eventually found to arrive on Earth in the form of infrared . The balance between absorbed and emitted infrared radiation has a critical effect on Earth 's climate .   Infrared radiation is emitted or absorbed by molecules when they change their rotational-vibrational movements . It excites vibrational modes in a molecule through a change in the dipole moment , making it a useful frequency range for study of these energy states for molecules of the proper symmetry . Infrared spectroscopy examines absorption and transmission of photons in the infrared range .   Infrared radiation is used in industrial , scientific , and medical applications . Night-vision devices using active near-infrared illumination allow people or animals to be observed without the observer being detected . Infrared astronomy uses sensor-equipped telescopes to penetrate dusty regions of space such as molecular clouds , detect objects such as planets , and to view highly red-shifted objects from the early days of the universe . Infrared thermal-imaging cameras are used to detect heat loss in insulated systems , to observe changing blood flow in the skin , and to detect overheating of electrical apparatus .   Thermal-infrared imaging is used extensively for military and civilian purposes . Military applications include target acquisition , surveillance , night vision , homing , and tracking . Humans at normal body temperature radiate chiefly at wavelengths around 10 μm ( micrometers ) . Non-military uses include thermal efficiency analysis , environmental monitoring , industrial facility inspections , remote temperature sensing , short-ranged wireless communication , spectroscopy , and weather forecasting .