Flir Systems - Range Phenomenology

FAL Sequence:

Infrared imaging technology offers a way to measure temperatures of objects that do not easily lend themselves to physical contact. All objects emit electromagnetic radiation, primarily in the infrared waveband for objects at terrestrial temperatures. One of the most useful wavebands for thermography is the midwave infrared, or MWIR band. Small changes in temperature produce large relative changes in flux, leading to increased thermal contrast over other infrared wavebands, that in turns leads to more accurate temperature measurement.

This image shows the measured temperature of a rifle bullet in flight. This is an excellent example of an object whose temperature is impossible to measure with standard thermometers. The bullet was a 5.56mm NATO round (fired from an AR-15 carbine) traveling at about 930 meters per second. One can see a blurred "tail" to the bullet caused by its motion

It was concluded that the bullet's temperature was around 267 degrees Celsius (513 degrees F). The bullet gets very hot as it is forced down the rifle barrel at supersonic speeds.

Austin Richards, PhD., Indigo Systems Corporation