According to the present invention, provided is a heater including a heat generating member being conductive and configured to radiate heat rays by being fed with electric power, a tubular member constituted by a metal and accommodating the heat generating member, and an intermediate member arranged between the heat generating member and the tubular member and constituted by an electrically insulating material, wherein the intermediate member is arranged and/or configured to allow, among the heat rays radiated from the heat generating member, at least light having a wavelength of from 1 m to 2 m to pass through the intermediate member to reach the tubular member.

A heater for melting glass includes: a heating member containing carbon (C) configured to emit heat rays upon power feeding; and a tubular member made of metal configured to have one end closed, and to house the heating member. The heating member includes a first heat generating part and a second heat generating part along an extending axis direction of the heater, and the first heat generating part is arranged at a position closer to the one end of the tubular member than is the second heat generating part. Denoting a unit-length resistance of the first heat generating part along the extending axis direction by X (/m), and denoting a unit-length resistance of the second heat generating part by Y (/m),
( 1/30)X<Y<()XFormula (1)
is satisfied.

A heating element for use in a system for melting materials during the production of a glass or ceramic material may include a first coupling member which may couple to a first side of the interior of a melt tank; a second coupling member which may couple to a second side of the interior of the melt tank; and at least one elongate strip extending between the first coupling member and the second coupling member. The at least one elongate strip is integral with the first coupling member and the second coupling member. During a heating operation, current may flow between the first coupling member and the second coupling member of the heating element, along the at least one elongate strip to thereby radiate heat to materials located within the interior of the melt tank.

A heater includes a heat generating member being conductive and configured to radiate heat rays by being fed with electric power, and a tubular member constituting of a metal and accommodating the heat generating member, wherein the heat generating member is composed of a material containing carbon at 80% or more by mass, the tubular member is composed of a material including one or more selected from platinum, rhodium, tungsten, iridium, and molybdenum, and an insulating material is not provided between the heat generating member and the tubular member.