> > As an aside, black objects are better thermal radiation (black
> > body) emitters than white objects.  This is a common miscon
> > ception because black objects are also better thermal radiation
> > absorbers.
>
> In the case of fur, colour is not the determining factor - it's how
> much heat gets to the surface from the body. Although a black
> fur next to a white fur on a sunny day would look hotter because
> the sun heat it was absorbing at its surface

I agree.  The only reason I brought this up is because the original poster
made a special point of the fur color.  As an additional aside, some animals
seem to have evolved fur that have special properties with respect to IR and
visible radiation.  Polar bears are being studied for this.  You may need a
different IR sensor if you live in an igloo ;-)


*****************************************************************
Olin Lathrop, embedded systems consultant in Devens Massachusetts
(978) 772-3129, olin@embedinc.com, http://www.embedinc.com

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