Is flying at night less radiation?

Night Flights and Radiation: Does Darkness Offer Protection?

The allure of a nighttime flight – the twinkling cityscape below, the quiet hum of the engines – often outweighs concerns about jet lag. But some travelers wonder if flying at night offers a lower radiation exposure compared to daytime flights. The short answer is: no, it doesn’t.

The misconception that night flights are safer from radiation stems from a misunderstanding of the source of radiation at high altitudes. While we often associate radiation with the sun, the primary radiation risk during air travel isn’t solely from direct solar radiation. Instead, it’s primarily galactic cosmic rays (GCRs) and, to a lesser extent, energetic particles from solar flares.

Galactic cosmic rays are high-energy particles originating from outside our solar system. These particles constantly bombard Earth’s atmosphere, penetrating far enough to reach cruising altitudes where airplanes fly. Their presence is continuous, day and night, unaffected by the Earth’s rotation or the sun’s position.

Solar flares, while powerful bursts of radiation from the sun, also don’t offer a preferential target based on the time of day. Following a significant solar flare, a wave of charged particles rapidly spreads throughout the Earth’s magnetosphere. These particles reach the atmosphere from all directions, effectively negating any potential shielding offered by the Earth’s shadow at night. The magnetosphere deflects a significant portion of this radiation, but high-altitude flight still puts passengers higher in the atmosphere, increasing exposure.

Therefore, the idea of a nighttime flight providing less radiation exposure is inaccurate. Both galactic cosmic rays and the effects of solar flares equally affect airplanes at any time of day. While the intensity of radiation exposure varies depending on factors like altitude, latitude, and solar activity, the time of day is not a significant factor.

Future research might delve further into specific radiation levels at different times based on various factors, such as seasonal variations in the Earth’s magnetosphere. However, current scientific understanding clearly indicates that the time of your flight has a negligible impact on your radiation exposure during air travel. Choosing a night flight for radiation concerns is therefore unfounded.