...is just under red of the visible spectrum, hence "infra" red.
Most of the heat from objects near room temperature and below is in the infrared. Mostly from vibration or torsion of molecules, which are a big part of
black body radiation.
Half of the sun's energy is infrared and heats the earth (527 / 1000 Watt per square meter at at sea level) .
Sources:
Stars, dust between stars, Sun, Blackbody radiation, Heat
Uses:
Heat seeking systems, ..
Fibre optics, networks, all kinds of communication, ..
Mobile phones, radar, TV, radio, remote controls, ..
Electronic photography, thermal efficiency analysis, environmental monitoring
Remote temperature sensing
Infrared spectroscopy
Interaction with matter:
Effects: