Adventures Beyond 700 nanometers

These are some pictures that I took with a cheap webcam that I modified to work in infrared wavelengths. More information on how to build your own is available at the bottom of the page.

Visible Light

To my eye, I can't even see through most of the blue pen. The camera I'm using to take this picture must be more sensitive in the infrared than my eye is.

Infrared

This is the same image in the infrared. The blue pen completely disappears. (The original picture was fuzzy and low-contrast to begin with, by the way.)

A Palimpsest

Can you decode the secret message here?

It's perfectly clear if your eyes are sensitive to the infrared. It was written with two different black pens which are indistinguishable to the naked eye, but have different infrared characteristics. (Has anyone looked at Kryptos in the infrared?)

My Next Money-Making Venture

How much fun would this be, really? This is the same "card" in visible and infrared light. Even if you could put a tiny mark on a card in an ink with different infrared properties, you could Stick It To The Man.

Notice to Counterfeiters

If you're going to make your own bills, be sure to check your work in the infrared. New U.S. bills use infrared-invisible ink in parts.

Make Your Own

I made the infrared camera from a crappy old $20 webcam and a piece of ordinary film negative. It took me about 5 minutes. I learned how to do it from Geoff Johnson's Site. Make one. It's fun. Good science fair project, too.


Alan Eliasen
Last modified: Tue Sep 30 21:49:22 MDT 2008