Band
 
Frequency Wavelength Example Attenuation
  3 kHz
3x103 Hz
100 km
100x103 m
Los Angeles  
Long-wave radio 30 kHz
30x103 Hz
10 km
10x103 m
Pasadena Ionosphere opaque
AM radio 300 kHz
300x103 Hz
1 km
1x103 m
JPL Ionosphere opaque
Short-wave radio 3 MHz
3x106 Hz
100 m
 
Football field Ionosphere opaque
VHF radio (FM), TV 30 MHz
30x106 Hz
10 m
 
  Ionosphere opaque
UHF radio, TV 300 MHz
300x106 Hz
1 m
 
Human child  
Microwave radio 3 GHz
3x109 Hz
100 mm
100x10-3 m
   
Microwave radio 30 GHz
30x109 Hz
10 mm
10x10-3 m
  Atmosphere opaque
except some wavelengths
  300 GHz
300x109 Hz
1 mm
1x10-3 m
Grain of sand Atmosphere opaque



Infrared light


3,000 - 10,000 Å
Visible light


Ultraviolet light
3 THz
3x1012 Hz
100 µ
100x10-6 m
  Atmosphere opaque
except some wavelengths
30 THz
30x1012 Hz
10 µ
10x10-6 m
Bacterium Atmosphere opaque
except some wavelengths
300 THz
300x1012 Hz
1 µ
1x10-6 m
RED = 564nm
BLUE = 420nm

Atmosphere opaque
except some wavelengths
3 PHz
3x1015 Hz
100 nm
100x10-9 m
1,000 Å
Visible light window
30 PHz
30x1015 Hz
10 nm
10x10-9 m
Virus Atmosphere opaque
  300 PHz
300x1015 Hz
1 nm
1x10-9 m
  Atmosphere opaque
  3 EHz
3x1018 Hz
100 pm
100x10-12 m
Atom Atmosphere opaque
X-rays 30 EHz
30x1018 Hz
10 pm
10x10-12 m
  Atmosphere opaque
  300 EHz
300x1018 Hz
1 pm
1x10-12 m
  Atmosphere opaque
Gamma rays ZHz
3x1021 Hz
100 fm
100x10-15 m
  Atmosphere opaque
  ZHz
30x1021 Hz
10 fm
10x10-15 m
  Atmosphere opaque
  ZHz
300x1021 Hz
1 fm
1x10-15 m
Atomic nucleus Atmosphere opaque
  YHz
3x1024 Hz
100 am
100x10-18 m
  Atmosphere opaque
  YHz
30x1024 Hz
10 am
10x10-18 m
  Atmosphere opaque
  YHz
300x1024 Hz
1 am
1x10-18 m
  Atmosphere opaque
Excerpts from Glossary:       THz=TeraHertz         PHz=PetaHertz         EHz=ExaHertz         ZHz=ZettaHertz         YHz=YottaHertz               µ=micrometer, micron         nm=nanometer         pm=picometer         fm-femtometer         am=attometer         Angstrom, Å, is 0.1 nm. Angsrtoms have traditionally been used to describe wavelengths of light. The nanometer is generally preferred today.

Region Approx Range (meters/hertz) Specific Range
Radio Waves
104 - 10-2 m/104 - 1010 Hz  
ultra-low frequency (ULF) 3 - 30 Hz
extremely low frequency (ELF) 30 - 300 Hz
voice frequencies (VF) 300 Hz - 3 kHz
very low frequency (VLF) 3 - 30 kHz
low frequency (LF) 30 - 300 kHz
medium frequency (MF) 300 kHz - 3 MHz
high frequency (HF) 3 - 30 MHz
very high frequency (VHF) 30 - 300 MHz
ultra high frequency (UHF) 300 MHz - 3 GHz
super high frequency (SHF) 3 - 30 GHz
extremely high frequency (EHF) 30 - 300 GHz
shortwave see MF, HF
television see VHF, UHF
microwave 30 cm - 1 mm/1-300 GHz
Infrared
10-3 - 10-6 m/1011 - 1014 Hz  
far 1000-30 um
middle 30-3 um
near 3-0.75 um
Visible
5x10-7 m/2x1014 Hz  
red 770-622 nm
orange 622-597 nm
yellow 597-577 nm
green 577-492 nm
blue 492-455 nm
violet 455-390 nm
Ultraviolet
10-7 - 10-8 m/1015 - 1016 Hz  
UV-A (least harmful) 400-315 nm
UV-B (more harmful, absorbed by ozone) 315-280 nm
UV-C (most harmful, but all absorbed by air) 280-100 nm
near UV ("black light") 400-300 nm
far UV 300-200 nm
vacuum UV 200-100 nm
X ray 10-9 - 10-11 m/1017 - 1019 Hz  
Gamma ray 10-11 - 10-13 m/1019 - 1021 Hz  

see also Natural Radio \ \ Van Eck

  • electromagnetic_spectrum.txt
  • Last modified: 2007-07-17 13:36
  • by nik