A highly sensitive instrument that measures the intensity of electromagnetic radiation, including heat and light, often used in astronomy and physics research.
From Greek 'bolē' (meaning 'ray' or 'throw') and '-meter' (meaning 'measure'). The instrument was named by physicist Samuel Langley in the 1880s because it measures the impact or 'throw' of radiant energy.
Bolometers literally let us 'see' the heat signature of distant stars and galaxies—they've detected radiation from objects billions of light-years away, and NASA's space telescopes still use bolometers because they're the most sensitive heat detectors we can build!
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