Infrared Astronomy: in the Heat of the Night
The 1999 Ellery Lecture
J.W.V. Storey, PASA, 17 (3), 270.
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CONCLUDING REMARKS

Since the first humans looked up at the stars and, in so doing, unwittingly became the first astronomers, our perception of the Universe has been coloured by our own biological limitations. With eyes that respond only to a very narrow range of wavelengths (roughly 400 - 700 nm), we have striven first to see fainter and fainter objects with ever-increasing clarity. Only in the past few years have we been able to obtain images in other parts of the spectrum that ``look'' as they would if our eyes worked at those wavelengths. First came aperture synthesis radio astronomy, then infrared imaging techniques using million-pixel detectors and then, more recently, high-resolution X-ray images. Our eyes have now had their wavelength response extended to cover most of the electromagnetic spectrum. For the first time in our evolution as a species can we ``look'' at the Universe without any predetermined wavelength bias, and see it as it really is. Australia's contribution to this new view of the Universe has been substantial. As we enter the third century of infrared astronomy, we can only wonder what new discoveries are in store, and what changes they will bring to our perception of the world. Next Section: Acknowledgements
Title/Abstract Page: Infrared Astronomy: in the
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Contents Page: Volume 17, Number 3