thumbnail|An infrared thermometer is a kind of pyrometer (bolometer).All objects above absolute zero emit blackbody radiation for which the spectra is directly proportional to the temperature. This property is the basis for a pyrometer or infrared thermometer and thermography. It has the advantage of remote temperature sensing; it does not require contact or even close proximity unlike most thermometers. At higher temperatures, blackbody radiation becomes visible and is described by the colour temperature. For example a glowing heating element or an approximation of a star's surface temperature.
thumbnail|An infrared thermometer is a kind of pyrometer (bolometer).All objects above absolute zero emit blackbody radiation for which the spectra is directly proportional to the temperature. This property is the basis for a pyrometer or infrared thermometer and thermography. It has the advantage of remote temperature sensing; it does not require contact or even close proximity unlike most thermometers At higher temperatures, blackbody radiation becomes visible and is described by the colour temperature. For example a glowing heating. element or an approximation of a star's surface temperature.