I've always been fascinated with "heat radiation;" otherwise known
as longwave infrared light. You don't need a military night-vision
camera, since there is an inexpensive imaging detector for
this: liquid crystal postcards. These postcards are available from
several science supply catalogs, as well as local museum stores, also some
mall
gift shops, etc. If you heat the postcard until it just begins to change
color, it becomes sensitive to small amounts of IR light, and acts like
instant camera film. Some things to try:
Shine a hot (100 watt) light bulb on the IR postcard, and make a shadow
with your hand. A thermal shadow appears on the postcard. Still
shining the light, hold a piece of flat glass in your hand so your
hand and the glass cast a shadow. Although the shadow of the glass
is invisible (except for the edge), the color-thermal shadow
indicates an opaque object! Glass is transparent to visible, but
acts "black" to long IR.
The opposite of the above demo can be performed with black plastic
IR filter: when the black material is held up to cast a shadow, the
colored thermal shadow will not appear (except for maybe the edge of
the filter). Deep blue filter plastic will do this, and is even better
when held together with a red filter to create visible-black, but IR
transparent filter. Fully-exposed B&W film negatives also act like IR
filters, as also do the silicon wafers available from some science
suppliers.
Glass isn't totally opaque to long IR, so it is possible to use
a lens to focus a hotspot on the postcard. The hotspot is actually
an image of the lightbulb. Try doing the same with an electric
heater! And try doing the same with the lens covered with one of
the black filters above. Also, I think acrylic lenses and acrylic
fresnel lenses might work even better, or the polyethelene fresnel
lenses used on motion sensors for security lights.
I've never tried it, but it MIGHT be possible to pre-heat the postcard,
then use a lens to cast the IR image of the view outside a window onto
the card, so for a moment you would see an IR image of the world.
Use an ice cold cola can to make a cold ring-pattern on your arm,
then quickly hold the LC postcard against your arm. The cold ring
becomes visible. Look closely and you can even see veins and
arteries for a moment as the LC postcard colors pass through their
most sensitive range.
Cool some pennies, and heat some others in your hand. Scatter them
on the LC postcard, then move them a bit. Some have colored shadows
behind them, others do not. Or sprinkle some drops of hot and cold
water onto the postcard and note the difference.
Use a pencil eraser to draw a "warm line" on a piece of wood, then
hold the LC postcard in contact to expose the pattern. If you
work fast enough, you can even write your initials in this way.
Point your finger upwards, then hold the LC postcard right above it.
A plume of warm air wafts upwards along your finger, and after awhile
the LC postcard will show its shape.
I found an article which mentions where large sheets of the material
can be obtained: