Near-Infrared Questions for Light Experts?

Question

I read that if you can see a dull, cherry-red aura around a Rado Shack sign, it means you are one of the rare people who can see near-infrared. I can do this, but only when it's nighttime. Am I seeing near-infrared? And if I can see a similar aura from around a UV bulb, am I seeing near-UV?

If it is, how rare is that? And is infrared too low-frequency for people to see; or is it like UV, and too high?

Answer 1

"Near Infra-Red" starts at 750nm wavelength (a fixed, accepted value).
In theory, and by definition, we CAN'T see it.
However, we are all different: we are not machines built on a standard.
To find out if you can see NIR, you have to go to a laboratory, ask for a calibrated source of light and check from say, 650nm to 900nm wavelength radiations. You will then be able to find exactly your limit for "your" visible. If it is above 750nm, then you see NIR... officially!
You can compare this to your auditive perception: the AF (audio frequencies range, by definition, from 16Hz to 16000 Hz).
Many of us cannot hear 16kHz, many of us can hear much higher than that!
It is all relative.

Answer 2

That aura actually (even in UV light) is a kind of frequency lower than UV (at the UV case)-meaning blueish light, and in infrared is also some kind of red light-which is higer than infrareds, which actually everyone can see them. Just look to a infrared lamp (there are used for drying or heating diverse things-that's why Infrareds are THERMAL electromagnetic waves) and you'll clearly see a weak red light glowing around the lamp.
If you'll look up then to a UV lamp you'll see a purple-blue aura of the waves emitted as co-products by the UV lamp (or red aura by infrared lamp in the other case) .
Dfriend :)

Answer 3

You aren't seeing near infrared. Someone is just messing around. Think about it, Radio shack sign is Red, so "Near"infra-RED". I am sure there are people who claim they can do this, but i seriously doubt it. There are animals that have those abilities but we can't. You are seeing the light refracting from moisture particles from the area around the signs and lights. Look at X-mas lights you will see the same thing. There is moisture all around us and we have moisture on the surface of our eyes that even distort images a little bit. So little that the human mind, eye, and hand can't measure it.

Answer 4

The infra red are too low frequency , the UV too high