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Near IR Examples

Visible Near Infrared
Astroturf in visible light
Astroturf in near IR light (very dark)
Which field heats up more in the sunlight–a grass field or astroturf?
Sunglasses in visible light (can't see through them)
Sunglasses in near IR light (can see through them)
See through most tinted sunglasses and windows–think this is used by security? 
Visible light picnic table with 5 women eating, all have brown hair
In near IR light, one of the women has light hair
Who is not the natural brunette? 
Visible light picture of an urban park and building
Same urban scene in near IR light with several very bright windows in the building but most are very dark
Consider building materials when examining urban heat island effects. 
A road in visible light
The road in near IR light is very dark
Notice the "black top" is still black in the near infrared. Very toasty in the summer! 
House in visible light
Same house in near IR light
Save the world–create a paint that reflects near infrared when it is warm and absorb near infrared when it is cold. 
Trees in visible light
Same trees in near IR light -- somewhat dark
Don't forget the beauty when seeing a new world! 
An autumn leaf with in visible light
In near IR light, the autumn colors turn to white
Where did the fall colors go? 
Lichens on a rock in visible light
lichens are white in near IR light
Lichens on a rock. 
picture of plants on the shore of a marsh in visible light
The plants are very light and the water very dark in near IR light
Water, in general, is darker than plants in the near infrared (more absorbent)... 
Picture of rocks in water in visible light
This time in near IR light, the water is lighter because of the algae in the water
...except when there is a great deal of algae suspended in the water. 
Two different types of plants next to each other in visible light
The plants are nearly indistinguishable in near IR light
Near infrared would not be very useful for insects to find specific types of plants. 
Sand flea in visible light
Sand flea is nearly white in near IR light
Look at a variety of animals in the near infrared. 
cloudy sky in visible light
sky in near IR light with less scattering
Clouds are quite reflective of both near infrared and visible light, but the sky doesn't scatter much near infrared compared to blue light. 
Different plants in visible light
Easily distinguish between plant and seed in near IR light
Compare the different plants their seed mechanisms. 
Plant with berries on them in visible light
berries are virtually white in near IR light
The berries are highly reflective in the near infrared. 

These are just some examples to give you ideas to
explore your own environment in a new light.