| 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 |