infrared background radiation

infrared background radiation

Unresolved radiation from space in the infrared waveband 10–200 μm. The diffuse radiation is the sum of several components: zodiacal light, the infrared flux from stars, emission from cosmic dust in the Galaxy, infrared cirrus, and the infrared flux from external galaxies. Observations from the satellite IRAS show that zodiacal emission dominates the infrared background at 12–60 μm except near the galactic plane. The zodiacal emission is also present at 100 μm but diffuse galactic emission is prominent at this wavelength. See also cosmic background radiation.