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The electromagnetic spectrum stretches far beyond the light we can see. Chasmō's illustrated poster puts the bands, their scale, and familiar applications together in one visual reference.
Every fascinating and visually-engaging technical and historical detail of this large wall poster was personally researched and painstakingly hand-designed by Chasmō. There is not a stitch of AI anywhere in this uniquely informative and authoritative reference piece now hanging at U.S. Space Force.
What the poster communicates
The upper section arranges radio waves, microwaves, infrared, visible light, ultraviolet, X-rays and gamma rays along a continuous scale. The lower section expands the radio range into named frequency bands and shows examples of how people use them. A visible-light inset gives the narrow band our eyes detect its own room to breathe.
Wavelength and frequency move in opposite directions: shorter wavelengths correspond to higher frequencies. The layout moves from an overview to examples and then to a closer reading of the radio bands, so a viewer can enter at more than one level.
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The design problem
A spectrum covering many orders of magnitude cannot be shown at literal physical scale on a printed sheet. This piece uses grouped bands, color, illustrations and annotations to make those relationships approachable. The bands are educational groupings, and the drawn waveforms are illustrative rather than to scale.
For a technical communication project, I can work from your subject matter, review the source material with you, and design the final graphic for a wall, briefing, report or digital screen. See infographic design services.
References and further reading
- NASA · Spectrum overview
- NASA Goddard · Wavelength and energy
- NIST · Wavelength–frequency relation
- NIST · Spectroscopy
- BIPM · SI constants
- NIST · Planck constant and photon energy
- NASA · Electromagnetic wave anatomy
- ESA · Electromagnetic spectrum
- NASA · Infrared and Herschel
- NASA · Ultraviolet and Ritter
- NASA · Radio waves and Hertz
- ITU · Frequency-band nomenclature
- NTIA · U.S. frequency allocations
- ITU · Radio-frequency management
- FAA · Instrument landing frequencies
- GPS.gov · Signal specifications
- U.S. Coast Guard · Marine VHF
- NWS · NOAA Weather Radio
- NASA · Space communications
- NOAA · Satellite imagery
- USGS · Spectral characteristics viewer
- NOAA · Radar
- FDA · Medical X-ray imaging
Have a design project in mind?
From a single logo or poster to complex technical communication, tell me what you need and where the finished work will appear.
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