Never thought of this until Unca Cees brought this up. But yeah, what do farts look like using infrared photography.
But while Cecil touts matches, I feel a butane lighter is the ideal ignition sourse.
I would recommend that you undertake a study to find the answer. After all, Cecil said it was a question he’s still thinking about. (Incidentally, the link is here: http://www.straightdope.com/columns/000630.html )
If you found out the answer, you could be mentioned by Cecil in a column, getting all the fame, glory, and wealth that naturally come along with that!
Y’know, one of the other grad students here has gotten ahold of an IR camera, and has been looking at various things through it (latest experiment: Bullets fired into wood). Maybe I can get him to try it.
My hunch, however, would be that, although farts are at body temperature, and therefore would produce infrared radiation, they’re probably diffuse enough that they wouldn’t show up without a REALLY sensitive detector.
Isn’t the Sony Nightshot stuff infrared technology? The original cameras could be switched to operate in ordinary light–which made it look like people’s clothes disappeared, right?
I think you’re on to something with this Free Ambient Rectal Temperature technology, too.
Only some clothes… Rayon, I believe, is the most common IR-transparent fabric.