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Indefinitely, unless it contacts something and gets absorbed by it, like the Ozone layer. Radiation from the earliest days of the big bang, approximately 14.5 billion years ago is still reaching us, having travelled (by definition) 14.5 Billion light years.

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13y ago
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6mo ago

The distance radiation can travel depends on the type of radiation. Alpha particles can travel a few inches, beta particles up to a few feet, and gamma rays can travel long distances through air or materials. Lead and concrete can help block or absorb radiation.

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7y ago

There is no limit. It just keeps going until it runs into something that absorbs it.

Exactly the same as any other star, which is the reason that we can see light

that comes from things that are 13 billion light-years away from us.
If the radiation doesn't hit anything or isn't absorbed by anything, it could radiate to infinity theoretically.
it will shine until it hits an object (say a planet or meteor)
What?

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11y ago

This is actually a much more complex question to answer than you might imagine.

It depends on many factors:

  • design of the bomb
  • yield of the bomb
  • height/depth of burst
  • terrain
  • surface material
  • weather and wind conditions
  • etc.

Also there are two different kinds of radiation to consider:

  1. prompt radiation
  2. delayed radiation

In the case of prompt radiation the answer is somewhat simpler to determine, as this radiation travels in straight lines similar to the way light travels, thus it is limited to the immediate area around ground zero. This radiation is a mixture of IR, visible light, UV, x-rays, gamma rays, and neutrons released in a flash at the moment of detonation. The amounts of each released depend on the design and yield of the bomb; the spread depends almost entirely on the height of the burst (the higher the burst, the wider the spread on the ground) but can be reduced by terrain (e.g. hills) that block it from certain areas.

In the case of delayed radiation we are talking mostly here about fallout radiation. This radiation is carried by the fallout particles, which can be large hunks of rock or metal down to tiny micron sized dust particles, and is produced by radioactive decay over a period of time depending on the radioisotopes producing it. The radiation emitted is a mixture of alpha particles, beta particles, and gamma rays. The amount of fallout generated depends on the design and yield of the bomb, height/depth of burst, and surface material; the spread depends almost entirely on weather and wind conditions. The most fallout is produced by high yield surface or shallow subsurface bursts and the widest spread is produced by strong winds with little or no precipitation.

I am sorry I am unable to give any numerical values, the problem is just too complex to compute without first making many (possibly invalid) assumptions. Even with these assumptions, to compute the spread of delayed radiation would require running a weather simulation on the computer (which I don't have at this time). In many real world atmospheric nuclear tests dangerous levels of fallout landed in places far outside the predicted areas due to changes in weather between the pretest prediction and the actual shot time.

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11y ago

There is no limit. It just keeps going until it runs into something that absorbs it.

Exactly the same as any other star, which is the reason that we can see light

that comes from things that are 13 billion light-years away from us.

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15y ago

Depends on atmospheric conditions and winds. There is a possibility that the distance would be infinate. Nuclear radiation takes centuries to disipate.

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14y ago

Gamma Rays can travel the furthest out of Beta, Alpha and gamma rays

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Q: How far can radiation travel?
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Related questions

How far will gamma radiation travel?

Gamma radiation can travel several feet in the air and can penetrate most materials, making it highly penetrating. The distance gamma radiation can travel depends on the energy of the gamma rays and the material they are passing through. Lead and concrete are commonly used to shield against gamma radiation.


What type of radiation has the greatest range?

Gamma radiation has the greatest range among the types of radiation. It can travel far distances through various materials and can penetrate deeply into tissues.


How far can gamma radiation travel in air?

Gamma radiation can travel several meters in air, depending on its energy level. Higher energy gamma rays can penetrate further than lower energy ones. Typically, gamma radiation can travel tens of meters in air before being absorbed or scattered.


Can radiation travel though space?

All types of radiation can travel through space.


How far does beta radiation travel through the air?

Beta radiation can travel several feet in the air, but its range is limited. The distance it travels depends on the energy of the beta particles and the density of the material it's traveling through. Beta radiation can be stopped by materials such as aluminum or even a few millimeters of plastic.


How far does alpha radiation travel?

Alpha radiation travels only a few centimeters in the air and can be stopped by a piece of paper or human skin.


Can radiation travel through a vacuum?

Yes, radiation can travel through a vacuum, as it does not require a medium to propagate. Electromagnetic radiation, such as light and X-rays, can travel through a vacuum as they are waves.


Does radiation need a material to travel through?

No, radiation can travel through a vacuum as well as through materials such as air, water, and solids. The ability of radiation to travel through materials depends on factors such as the type of radiation and the material's density and thickness.


How heat waves travel through the ozone layer?

Heat waves do not travel through the ozone layer. Some infrared radiation passes through it, but "far infrared" does not. Ozone is a greenhouse gas.


What use is alpha radiation?

It is used in smoke detectors as it cannot travel far in air. Alpha radiation is emitted and as long as the detector in the device is receiving the alpha radiation, then no smoke is present. When smoke particles are present, they interrupt the radiation, and so the detector doesn't pick up the radiation, causing the alarm to go off.


Which can travel through empty space out of insulator convection electomagnetic conduction or radiation?

Radiation can travel through empty space. The radiation in question is electromagnetic waves.


Is it to far or too far to travel for you?

"Too far to travel for you"