Illustrated · 1 min
x-rays :
X-rays are high-frequency, and thus high-energy, electromagnetic radiation. They have wavelengths ranging from 0.01 to 10 nanometres, and thus frequencies from 3×1019 to 3×1016 Hz. They are found to reside between ultraviolet radiation and gamma rays on the electromagnetic spectrum. Astrophysical sources of X-rays include plasmas with temperatures of 1 to 100 million degrees Celcius, such as the solar corona, supernova remnants and gas in galaxy clusters. In addition to this blackbody radiation from hot gas, high-energy events involving charged particles moving at high speeds within a magnetic field can also generate X-rays. Examples include the aurora of Jupiter, compact galactic objects like neutron stars, cataclysmic variable stars and X-ray binaries, and active galactic nuclei and quasars.
gamma rays
Gamma rays (also called gamma radiation),consists of photons in the highest observed range of photon energy. The decay of an atomic nucleus from a high energy state to a lower energy state, a process called gamma decay, produces gamma radiation
wavelength and frequency of gamma & x-rays.
Difference between x-rays and gamma rays
1:- gammas are from radioactive atomic nuclei and X-rays are from electron excitation/acceleration or X rays are emitted by the electrons due to inter-electronic interactions and gamma rays are emitted by the excited nucleus itself.
2:- gamma rays are of higher frequency as compared to x-rays,Gamma rays have shorter wavelengths than the X-rays.(see the electromagnetic spectrum).
3:- Gamma rays cause more harm to human body than the X- rays