Which sensor aboard Landsat 8 is responsible for thermal infrared data collection?

The Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS) aboard Landsat 8 is dedicated to collecting thermal infrared data, which is essential for assessing surface temperatures and monitoring heat patterns on the Earth's surface. TIRS is specifically designed to detect emitted thermal radiation, allowing for the analysis of thermal properties of landscapes, which can be important in various applications such as agriculture, land use planning, and environmental monitoring. This capability to gather data in the thermal infrared spectrum distinguishes TIRS from other sensors on the Landsat 8 platform, such as the Operational Land Imager, which focuses on visible to near-infrared wavelengths for land observation and broader imaging capabilities. Thus, TIRS plays a critical role in expanding the data collection capabilities of the Landsat satellite program into thermal analysis.