Infrared View of the Universe

Infrared light has many unique applications in our everyday life, but it is also a very useful tool for exploring the universe. In this talk, I describe why infrared light is so important in astronomy, and review recent progresses made by new space infrared telescopes on the understanding of the evolution of the universe, the star formation, and the discovery of possible new planets in and outside our solar system. Infrared observations have revealed interesting primordial galaxies called HEROs and EROs, discovered massive galaxies in very early universe which has made some astronomers scratch their heads, and helped measure the size of a possible new planet in the solar system. Future observations with a recently launched Akari telescope will soon boost our understanding on the universe.