It's been a frustrating year for shareholders in Flir Systems , the maker of thermography and infrared imaging technology.

FORBES

The pictures come from the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) satellite, and have been referred to as "The Black Marble" in reference to the famous "Blue Marble" daylight pictures.

ENGADGET: Alt-week 12.08.12: The oldest known dinosaur, lighting up a space station and the black marble

The monitor uses Infrared Optical Imaging technology providing it with accurate multi-touch capability, no matter what stylus is being used.

ENGADGET: Viewsonic VX2258wm 22-inch multitouch display hits stores in Europe

Lead selenium is a semiconductor that has been used in infrared detectors and thermal imaging.

FORBES: IBM Nanotechnology Goes 3-D

The firm also sells imaging and infrared detector products that SunPower makes using its thin-wafer manufacturing process for solar cells.

FORBES: Magazine Article

In the researchers' new imaging system, a beam of infrared laser light is widely dispersed throughout a room.

ENGADGET: Infrared holography lets rescuers see people through walls, fire, walls of fire (video)

Paper: "Imaging live humans through smoke and flames using far-infrared digital holography, " M.

ENGADGET: Infrared holography lets rescuers see people through walls, fire, walls of fire (video)

Some players like the DRS Technologies unit of Italian giant Finmeccanica are extremely skilled at thermal imaging, while others like the Electronic Solutions unit of BAE Systems Inc. have unsurpassed expertise in infrared countermeasures.

FORBES: Wave Of Consolidation May Be Coming In Military Electronics