Cosmic radiation on flights from Atlanta (ATL) to Los Angeles (LAX)

Reverse: Los Angeles → Atlanta

A flight from Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport to Los Angeles International Airport at 35,000 ft, about 4 h 14 min in the air, receives about 0.0142 mSv (14.2 µSv) of cosmic radiation: about 14% of a chest X-ray. That is the FAA's CARI-7 model run for this route with the solar conditions of August 2026.

Updated · solar conditions of August 2026

Dose
14.2 µSv0.0142 mSv
Time in the air
4 h 14 minestimated
Dose rate
3.3 µSv/haverage, 35,000 ft
Chest X‑rays
0.14at 0.1 mSv each

Key facts: ATL → LAX

Dose, standard flight0.0142 mSv (14.2 µSv)
Time in the air4 h 14 min, estimated from distance and prevailing winds
Cruise altitude35,000 ft
Average dose rate3.3 µSv/h
Great-circle distance3,126 km (1,942 mi)
Furthest from the equator35.0°N
Solar conditionsAugust 2026

The standard flight is CARI-7, the FAA Civil Aerospace Medical Institute's model, run on the dev machine for this route: 35,000 ft, 4 h 14 min in the air (climb 25 min, cruise 212 min, descent 17 min), effective dose per ICRP Publication 103. How it's calculated.

ATLLAX
Great-circle route, shaded from 3.0 µSv/h to 3.6 µSv/h. Shading is modelled from the monthly dose-rate grid; totals are CARI-7.

How the sun changes the dose on ATL → LAX

The sun's 11-year cycle moves this number. With the same 4 h 14 min at 35,000 ft, the flight would have received 0.0167 mSv in April 2020, when the sun was quiet and more galactic cosmic rays reached the atmosphere, and 0.0116 mSv in January 2026, near solar maximum: 43% more at the quiet end. In August 2026 it is 0.0142 mSv.

Dose for this flight at 35,000 ft, quarterly
0 µSv5 µSv10 µSv15 µSv20 µSv20162018202020222024202616.7 µSv11.6 µSv14.2 µSv
0 µSv5 µSv10 µSv15 µSv20 µSv20162020202416.7 µSv11.6 µSv14.2 µSv
The numbers behind the chart
MonthDoseDose
January 201615.2 µSv0.0152 mSv
April 201615.5 µSv0.0155 mSv
July 201615.5 µSv0.0155 mSv
October 201615.9 µSv0.0159 mSv
January 201716 µSv0.016 mSv
April 201716.3 µSv0.0163 mSv
July 201716.1 µSv0.0161 mSv
October 201716 µSv0.016 mSv
January 201816.2 µSv0.0162 mSv
April 201816.5 µSv0.0165 mSv
July 201816.4 µSv0.0164 mSv
October 201816.7 µSv0.0167 mSv
January 201916.1 µSv0.0161 mSv
April 201916.6 µSv0.0166 mSv
July 201916.5 µSv0.0165 mSv
October 201916.6 µSv0.0166 mSv
January 202016.6 µSv0.0166 mSv
April 202016.7 µSv0.0167 mSv
July 202016.6 µSv0.0166 mSv
October 202016.6 µSv0.0166 mSv
January 202116.2 µSv0.0162 mSv
April 202116.6 µSv0.0166 mSv
July 202116.4 µSv0.0163 mSv
October 202116.4 µSv0.0164 mSv
January 202216.2 µSv0.0162 mSv
April 202216 µSv0.016 mSv
July 202215 µSv0.015 mSv
October 202215.4 µSv0.0154 mSv
January 202314.4 µSv0.0144 mSv
April 202314.5 µSv0.0145 mSv
July 202313.8 µSv0.0138 mSv
October 202313.9 µSv0.0139 mSv
January 202413.3 µSv0.0133 mSv
April 202413.6 µSv0.0136 mSv
July 202413.7 µSv0.0137 mSv
October 202412.2 µSv0.0122 mSv
January 202512.6 µSv0.0126 mSv
April 202512.6 µSv0.0126 mSv
July 202512.5 µSv0.0125 mSv
October 202512.8 µSv0.0127 mSv
January 202611.6 µSv0.0116 mSv
April 202612.9 µSv0.0129 mSv
July 202613.7 µSv0.0137 mSv
August 202614.2 µSv0.0142 mSv

How cruise altitude changes the dose

Flown at 31,000 ft instead, the same flight would receive 0.0104 mSv, 27% less than at 35,000 ft; at 41,000 ft it would receive 0.0202 mSv, 43% more. Same route, same time in the air, same month: only the air overhead changes.

Dose for this flight by cruise altitude, August 2026
  • 31,000 ft10.4 µSv
  • 33,000 ft12.2 µSv
  • 35,000 ft14.2 µSv
  • 37,000 ft16.2 µSv
  • 39,000 ft18.2 µSv
  • 41,000 ft20.2 µSv

Try it: change the altitude and the month

Every combination is its own CARI-7 run for ATL → LAX, with the same 4 h 14 min in the air. It is still a standard flight, not yours: the app calculates your exact flight.

Every combination as a table (µSv)
AltitudeJan 2016Jan 2017Jan 2018Jan 2019Jan 2020Jan 2021Jan 2022Jan 2023Jan 2024Jan 2025Jan 2026Aug 2026
31,000 ft11.211.711.811.812.111.911.810.69.769.268.5810.4
33,000 ft13.113.81413.914.31413.912.411.510.910.112.2
35,000 ft15.21616.216.116.616.216.214.413.312.611.614.2
37,000 ft17.418.318.518.41918.518.516.415.114.313.316.2
39,000 ft19.620.720.920.821.420.920.918.51716.114.918.2
41,000 ft21.82323.223.123.823.323.220.518.917.916.420.2

The return flight: LAX → ATL

LAX → ATL receives 0.012 mSv at 35,000 ft, 15% less than ATL → LAX, over about 3 h 40 min in the air against 4 h 14 min. The return is 34 min shorter: its track runs with the prevailing westerly winds at cruise altitude. Cosmic radiation builds up with every minute aloft, so the longer direction collects more of it along the same path.

Dose for each direction, standard flight
  • ATL → LAX14.2 µSv
  • LAX → ATL12 µSv

Cosmic radiation on Los Angeles → Atlanta flights

What 14.2 µSv compares with

Compared withIts doseThis flight is
Chest X-Ray0.1 mSvabout 14% of a chest X-ray
Dental X-Ray0.005 mSvabout 2.8 dental X-rays
Background Radiation (Daily)0.008 mSvabout a day's natural background radiation
Mammogram0.4 mSvabout 4% of a mammogram
Head CT Scan2 mSvabout 1% of a head CT scan
Eating a Banana0.0001 mSvabout 142 bananas

The comparison values are the ones the FlightDose app uses.

Why your flight will differ

  • Altitude. Flown at 31,000 ft instead, the same flight would receive 0.0104 mSv, 27% less than at 35,000 ft; at 41,000 ft it would receive 0.0202 mSv, 43% more. Same route, same time in the air, same month: only the air overhead changes.
  • Time in the air. Every extra 30 minutes on this route adds about 1.7 µSv. Headwinds, holding and routing change it by tens of minutes on a long flight.
  • The month. The sun's 11-year cycle swings this route's dose by about 43% between quiet and active years.
  • The track. Airlines fly tracks that bend with the jet stream, not the exact great circle; a track further from the equator collects more.
  • Solar storms. A rare solar radiation storm can add to the dose for hours; CARI-7's monthly figures don't include one.

FlightDose calculates your exact flight.

Your date, your altitude, your time in the air, with live space weather, and a running total against the limits that matter to you.

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