Infrared
I am frequently asked, “Why do ghost hunters always investigate at night instead of
daytime?” and one simple explanation is… your senses are heightened, your
concentration is more focused, and you are inviting spirits to mess with you…that’s
what you want, right? A versatile tool that assists us in night investigations is infrared.
Infrared is another form of radiation that is not on the visible side of the electromagnetic
spectrum to the human eye. Infrared has many uses that are all around you. For
example, when you point your remote at the TV and push a button, an infrared signal is
sent to the receiver on the TV. You can not see this process with normal sight, but if
you were to watch the remote with night vision equipment, you could then see the
infrared signal.
The equipment we use on our investigations has infrared functions that enable us to
essentially “see-in-the-dark” [a]. Infrared associated with night vision optics should not
be confused with Thermal Imaging. Thermal imaging [b] creates images based on
surface temperatures by detecting infrared radiation. The main concept behind infrared
based night vision devices is to boost the ambient light in the surrounding environment,
making it visible to the human eye.
The human eye has a limited range on the electromagnetic spectrum. A natural defect
of every human is poor night vision. A lot of animals have a wider range of vision in the
electromagnetic spectrum allowing them to naturally have night vision capabilities. This
is one of many reasons why some animals can sense paranormal presences and we
can not. Infrared allows humans to widen that spectrum and see into the dark.
Infrared has other advantages on investigations too. The light that is emitted from an
infrared device can reflect off of many objects. If you were to drop a human hair in front
of a night vision camera [c], the hair would be lit up light a Christmas tree! Fog, mist,
and dust are also very visible with infrared. Dust is about 99% of all the so called orbs
that are captured on night vision video. The advantage is, if you were to set a “trap” for
a spirit in front of a night vision camera, like sprinkling baking powder on the floor where
an apparition has been sited, the infrared will reflect off the baking powder if it is
disturbed and becomes airborne. You might not catch the apparition on video, but
catching something moving on its own is interesting evidence.
At API we use various infrared instruments. All of our Mini DV cameras have infrared
attachments that add an additional 8 infrared LED bulbs for increased lighting. We also
use infrared illuminators that have 68 infrared LED bulbs. These illuminators are best
used for large rooms that require a large amount of lighting. Remember that all of these
infrared lights are not visible to the human eye until viewed through night vision optics.
So, 68 LED bulbs light up a room in night vision, but the room is still pitch black to the
investigator that is not holding a video camera!
Digital non-contact thermometers also use infrared. To obtain a temperature reading
the thermometer shoots an infrared beam that expands in width the longer the distance
from the device. The signal then relays a temperature reading of where the infrared
beam reaches its maximum distance. We also use a infrared X-Ray filter occasionally
on our Mini DV cameras. This filter blocks out 99% of ambient light and only allows
infrared light to pass through. When using this filter during the daytime you can see the
infrared light that is emitting from the Sun [d]. If a spirit were able to produce enough
electromagnetic energy in a dark room, this filter would recognize only the infrared
signature and block out all other forms of light, possibly giving us a clear shot of the
apparition.
There are many uses for infrared and it is an exciting experience to work with night
vision equipment. As technology progresses with night vision and infrared, we will be
studying and using available tools to assist our hunts. Remember, the days of bulky
cassette recorders and toilet size video cameras were fun, but we have new toys that
are smaller and better! Stay up to date with technology and use it to your advantage.
Ben Jones
API
I am frequently asked, “Why do ghost hunters always investigate at night instead of
daytime?” and one simple explanation is… your senses are heightened, your
concentration is more focused, and you are inviting spirits to mess with you…that’s
what you want, right? A versatile tool that assists us in night investigations is infrared.
Infrared is another form of radiation that is not on the visible side of the electromagnetic
spectrum to the human eye. Infrared has many uses that are all around you. For
example, when you point your remote at the TV and push a button, an infrared signal is
sent to the receiver on the TV. You can not see this process with normal sight, but if
you were to watch the remote with night vision equipment, you could then see the
infrared signal.
The equipment we use on our investigations has infrared functions that enable us to
essentially “see-in-the-dark” [a]. Infrared associated with night vision optics should not
be confused with Thermal Imaging. Thermal imaging [b] creates images based on
surface temperatures by detecting infrared radiation. The main concept behind infrared
based night vision devices is to boost the ambient light in the surrounding environment,
making it visible to the human eye.
The human eye has a limited range on the electromagnetic spectrum. A natural defect
of every human is poor night vision. A lot of animals have a wider range of vision in the
electromagnetic spectrum allowing them to naturally have night vision capabilities. This
is one of many reasons why some animals can sense paranormal presences and we
can not. Infrared allows humans to widen that spectrum and see into the dark.
Infrared has other advantages on investigations too. The light that is emitted from an
infrared device can reflect off of many objects. If you were to drop a human hair in front
of a night vision camera [c], the hair would be lit up light a Christmas tree! Fog, mist,
and dust are also very visible with infrared. Dust is about 99% of all the so called orbs
that are captured on night vision video. The advantage is, if you were to set a “trap” for
a spirit in front of a night vision camera, like sprinkling baking powder on the floor where
an apparition has been sited, the infrared will reflect off the baking powder if it is
disturbed and becomes airborne. You might not catch the apparition on video, but
catching something moving on its own is interesting evidence.
At API we use various infrared instruments. All of our Mini DV cameras have infrared
attachments that add an additional 8 infrared LED bulbs for increased lighting. We also
use infrared illuminators that have 68 infrared LED bulbs. These illuminators are best
used for large rooms that require a large amount of lighting. Remember that all of these
infrared lights are not visible to the human eye until viewed through night vision optics.
So, 68 LED bulbs light up a room in night vision, but the room is still pitch black to the
investigator that is not holding a video camera!
Digital non-contact thermometers also use infrared. To obtain a temperature reading
the thermometer shoots an infrared beam that expands in width the longer the distance
from the device. The signal then relays a temperature reading of where the infrared
beam reaches its maximum distance. We also use a infrared X-Ray filter occasionally
on our Mini DV cameras. This filter blocks out 99% of ambient light and only allows
infrared light to pass through. When using this filter during the daytime you can see the
infrared light that is emitting from the Sun [d]. If a spirit were able to produce enough
electromagnetic energy in a dark room, this filter would recognize only the infrared
signature and block out all other forms of light, possibly giving us a clear shot of the
apparition.
There are many uses for infrared and it is an exciting experience to work with night
vision equipment. As technology progresses with night vision and infrared, we will be
studying and using available tools to assist our hunts. Remember, the days of bulky
cassette recorders and toilet size video cameras were fun, but we have new toys that
are smaller and better! Stay up to date with technology and use it to your advantage.
Ben Jones
API
[a] Infrared Night Vision Picture
[b] Thermal Imaging
[c] Video clip of infrared light reflecting
off of a floating piece of hair
off of a floating piece of hair
[d] Photo taken with Infrared X-Ray filter