e image to the left reveals a dense cluster of young stars (reddish region in center) which is obscured at visible wavelengths by the nebula's dark central dust lane. (NGC 2024 image courtesy Ian McLean and UCLA IR Lab.) IR observation is also practical for observing remote objects when there are cosmic dust clouds between the object observed and the observer.
The now-retired Lick Infrared Camera (LIRC-II) was an early pioneeer in IR imaging, used at the Cassegrain foci of both the Shane and Nickel telescopes. The Gemini IR Imaging Camera, built at UCLA Infrared Labs, is currently used with the Shane telescope. IR-sensitive instruments are being built for Adaptive Optics (AO), and IR-sensitive CCDs are being developed. Clearly, IR observation and imaging will be widely used in future research at Lick Observatory, and throughout the world.