Driver's vision enhancer and DRS Technologies. All objects above Absolute zero (−273.15 °C / −459.67 °F) emit infrared radiation (IR), an invisible form of light beyond the optical spectrum. The optical spectrum is part of the electromagnetic energy spectrum which consists of ultraviolet, visible, and near, middle, and far-infrared energy. Only a small part of the optical spectrum is visible to the unaided eye. The Sun emits energy across the entire electromagnetic spectrum. Solar energy strikes the surface of objects. Some of that energy is absorbed and stored as heat (thermal energy). After sunset, this thermal energy remains and is emitted in the
Ultraviolet are greater than simple heating effects, and many practical applications of UV radiation derive from its interactions with organic molecules. Suntan and sunburn are familiar effects of over-exposure of the skin to UV, along with higher risk of skin cancer. Living things on dry land would be severely damaged by ultraviolet radiation from the Sun if most of it were not filtered out by the Earth's atmosphere. More-energetic, shorter-wavelength "extreme" UV below 121 nm ionizes air so strongly that it is absorbed before it reaches the ground. Ultraviolet is also responsible for the formation of bone-strengthening vitamin D in most