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You are here: Home / Space / What Is Radiation, Which Objects Emit Radiation, and How Is the Wavelength of Radiation Measured?

What Is Radiation, Which Objects Emit Radiation, and How Is the Wavelength of Radiation Measured?

April 20, 2020 by Karen Hill

Radiation is energy emitted by a source such as a planet, star, or your own body.

We measure radiation in wavelengths. Radiation travels in rising and falling motions called waves, like waves in the ocean.

Wavelengths are measured from the tip of one wave to the tip of the next.

Our eyes can register light waves, which are relatively short, but wavelengths of other kinds of radiation are too short or too long for us to be able to see them.

Radiation waves can also be measured by frequency, or how many waves pass a point within a certain amount of time.

Imagine you are standing in the ocean with a stopwatch.

You time the waves, counting how many pass you within one minute. If three waves go by, the wave frequency is 3 cycles per minute.

Radiation is usually counted in cycles per second (cps): 1 kilohertz (kHz) = 1,000 cps, and 1 megahertz (mHz) = 1 million cps.

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  • Do Volcanos Emit Dangerous Gases?
  • How Dangerous Is Radiation and Are All Types of Radiation Dangerous or Hazardous To Our Health?
  • How Is Mean Sea Level Calculated and How Is the Height of a Mountain Measured?
  • How Is Temperature Measured In Space and Who Invented the Kelvin Scale For Temperature?
  • Who Discovered the Speed of Light and How was the universal constant measured accurately?

Filed Under: Space

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

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