Microwaves are used by satellites

Communication to and from satellites uses microwaves. But you need to use microwaves which can pass easily through the Earth’s watery atmosphere
For satellite TV, the signal from a transmitter is transmitted into space where it’s picked up by the satellite receiver dish orbiting thousands of kilometres above the Earth. The satellite transmits the signal back to Earth in a different direction
It is then received by a satellite dish on the ground. There is a slight time delay between the signal being sent and received because of the long distance the signal has to travel

Microwave ovens use a different wavelength from satellites

In communications, the microwaves used need to pass through the Earth’s watery atmosphere
In microwaves ovens, the microwaves need to be absorbed by water molecules in food-so they is a different wavelength to those used in satellite communications
The microwaves penetrate up to a few centimetres into the food before being absorbed and transferring the energy they are carrying to the water molecules in the food, causing the water to heat up
The water molecules then transfer this energy to the rest of the molecules in the food by heating-which quickly cooks the food

Infrared radiation is given out by all hot objects, and the hotter the object, the more IR radiation it gives out
Infrared cameras can be used to detect infrared radiation and monitor temperature. The camera detects the IR radiation and turns it into an electrical signal, which is displayed on a screen as a picture. The hotter an object is, the brighter it appears
Absorbing IR radiation causes objects to get hotter. Food can be cooked using IR radiation, the temperature of the food increases when it absorbs IR radiation
Electric heaters heat up a room in the same way. Electric heaters contain a long piece of wire that heats up when a current flows through it. This wire then emits lots of infrared radiation. The emitted IR radiation is absorbed by objects and the air in the room-energy is transferred by the IR waves to the thermal energy stores of the objects, causing their temperature to increase

Communication to and from satellites uses microwaves. But you need to use microwaves which can pass easily through the Earth’s watery atmosphere
For satellite TV, the signal from a transmitter is transmitted into space where it’s picked up by the satellite receiver dish orbiting thousands of kilometres above the Earth. The satellite transmits the signal back to Earth in a different direction
It is then received by a satellite dish on the ground. There is a slight time delay between the signal being sent and received because of the long distance the signal has to travel

In communications, the microwaves used need to pass through the Earth’s watery atmosphere
In microwaves ovens, the microwaves need to be absorbed by water molecules in food-so they is a different wavelength to those used in satellite communications
The microwaves penetrate up to a few centimetres into the food before being absorbed and transferring the energy they are carrying to the water molecules in the food, causing the water to heat up
The water molecules then transfer this energy to the rest of the molecules in the food by heating-which quickly cooks the food

Infrared radiation is given out by all hot objects, and the hotter the object, the more IR radiation it gives out
Infrared cameras can be used to detect infrared radiation and monitor temperature. The camera detects the IR radiation and turns it into an electrical signal, which is displayed on a screen as a picture. The hotter an object is, the brighter it appears
Absorbing IR radiation causes objects to get hotter. Food can be cooked using IR radiation, the temperature of the food increases when it absorbs IR radiation
Electric heaters heat up a room in the same way. Electric heaters contain a long piece of wire that heats up when a current flows through it. This wire then emits lots of infrared radiation. The emitted IR radiation is absorbed by objects and the air in the room-energy is transferred by the IR waves to the thermal energy stores of the objects, causing their temperature to increase