Cosmic radiation on flights from Hong Kong (HKG) to New York (JFK)
A flight from Hong Kong International Airport to John F. Kennedy International Airport at 35,000 ft, about 15 h 6 min in the air, receives about 0.0601 mSv (60.1 µSv) of cosmic radiation: about two thirds 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
- 60.1 µSv0.0601 mSv
- Time in the air
- 15 h 6 minestimated
- Dose rate
- 4.0 µSv/haverage, 35,000 ft
- Chest X‑rays
- 0.6at 0.1 mSv each
Key facts: HKG → JFK
| Dose, standard flight | 0.0601 mSv (60.1 µSv) |
|---|---|
| Time in the air | 15 h 6 min, estimated from distance and prevailing winds |
| Cruise altitude | 35,000 ft |
| Average dose rate | 4.0 µSv/h |
| Great-circle distance | 12,966 km (8,057 mi) |
| Furthest from the equator | 83.7°N |
| Solar conditions | August 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, 15 h 6 min in the air (climb 25 min, cruise 864 min, descent 17 min), effective dose per ICRP Publication 103. How it's calculated.
How the sun changes the dose on HKG → JFK
The sun's 11-year cycle moves this number. With the same 15 h 6 min at 35,000 ft, the flight would have received 0.0765 mSv in April 2020, when the sun was quiet and more galactic cosmic rays reached the atmosphere, and 0.0467 mSv in January 2026, near solar maximum: 64% more at the quiet end. In August 2026 it is 0.0601 mSv.
The numbers behind the chart
| Month | Dose | Dose |
|---|---|---|
| January 2016 | 66.6 µSv | 0.0666 mSv |
| April 2016 | 68.7 µSv | 0.0687 mSv |
| July 2016 | 68.3 µSv | 0.0683 mSv |
| October 2016 | 70.9 µSv | 0.0709 mSv |
| January 2017 | 71.8 µSv | 0.0718 mSv |
| April 2017 | 73.8 µSv | 0.0738 mSv |
| July 2017 | 72.3 µSv | 0.0723 mSv |
| October 2017 | 71.6 µSv | 0.0716 mSv |
| January 2018 | 73 µSv | 0.073 mSv |
| April 2018 | 75.1 µSv | 0.0751 mSv |
| July 2018 | 74.7 µSv | 0.0747 mSv |
| October 2018 | 76.4 µSv | 0.0764 mSv |
| January 2019 | 72.3 µSv | 0.0723 mSv |
| April 2019 | 76.2 µSv | 0.0762 mSv |
| July 2019 | 75 µSv | 0.075 mSv |
| October 2019 | 76.2 µSv | 0.0762 mSv |
| January 2020 | 75.7 µSv | 0.0757 mSv |
| April 2020 | 76.5 µSv | 0.0765 mSv |
| July 2020 | 75.9 µSv | 0.0759 mSv |
| October 2020 | 75.9 µSv | 0.0759 mSv |
| January 2021 | 73 µSv | 0.0731 mSv |
| April 2021 | 76.2 µSv | 0.0762 mSv |
| July 2021 | 74.2 µSv | 0.0742 mSv |
| October 2021 | 74.5 µSv | 0.0745 mSv |
| January 2022 | 72.8 µSv | 0.0728 mSv |
| April 2022 | 71.9 µSv | 0.0719 mSv |
| July 2022 | 65.4 µSv | 0.0654 mSv |
| October 2022 | 67.7 µSv | 0.0677 mSv |
| January 2023 | 61.3 µSv | 0.0613 mSv |
| April 2023 | 62.1 µSv | 0.0621 mSv |
| July 2023 | 58.3 µSv | 0.0583 mSv |
| October 2023 | 58.6 µSv | 0.0586 mSv |
| January 2024 | 55.1 µSv | 0.0551 mSv |
| April 2024 | 56.7 µSv | 0.0567 mSv |
| July 2024 | 57.3 µSv | 0.0573 mSv |
| October 2024 | 49.6 µSv | 0.0496 mSv |
| January 2025 | 51.5 µSv | 0.0515 mSv |
| April 2025 | 51.5 µSv | 0.0515 mSv |
| July 2025 | 51 µSv | 0.051 mSv |
| October 2025 | 52.3 µSv | 0.0523 mSv |
| January 2026 | 46.7 µSv | 0.0467 mSv |
| April 2026 | 53.3 µSv | 0.0533 mSv |
| July 2026 | 57.3 µSv | 0.0573 mSv |
| August 2026 | 60.1 µSv | 0.0601 mSv |
How cruise altitude changes the dose
Flown at 31,000 ft instead, the same flight would receive 0.0435 mSv, 28% less than at 35,000 ft; at 41,000 ft it would receive 0.0873 mSv, 45% more. Same route, same time in the air, same month: only the air overhead changes.
Try it: change the altitude and the month
Every combination is its own CARI-7 run for HKG → JFK, with the same 15 h 6 min in the air. It is still a standard flight, not yours: the app calculates your exact flight.
Every combination as a table (µSv)
| Altitude | Jan 2016 | Jan 2017 | Jan 2018 | Jan 2019 | Jan 2020 | Jan 2021 | Jan 2022 | Jan 2023 | Jan 2024 | Jan 2025 | Jan 2026 | Aug 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31,000 ft | 48 | 51.6 | 52.4 | 52 | 54.3 | 52.4 | 52.3 | 44.4 | 40 | 37.5 | 34.2 | 43.5 |
| 33,000 ft | 57 | 61.4 | 62.3 | 61.8 | 64.6 | 62.4 | 62.2 | 52.6 | 47.3 | 44.3 | 40.3 | 51.5 |
| 35,000 ft | 66.6 | 71.8 | 73 | 72.3 | 75.7 | 73 | 72.8 | 61.3 | 55.1 | 51.5 | 46.7 | 60.1 |
| 37,000 ft | 76.6 | 82.8 | 84.2 | 83.4 | 87.4 | 84.2 | 83.9 | 70.4 | 63.1 | 58.9 | 53.4 | 69 |
| 39,000 ft | 87 | 94.2 | 95.8 | 94.9 | 99.5 | 95.9 | 95.5 | 79.8 | 71.3 | 66.4 | 60.1 | 78.1 |
| 41,000 ft | 97.6 | 106 | 108 | 107 | 112 | 108 | 108 | 89.3 | 79.5 | 73.9 | 66.7 | 87.3 |
The return flight: JFK → HKG
JFK → HKG receives 0.0611 mSv at 35,000 ft, 2% more than HKG → JFK, over about 15 h 24 min in the air against 15 h 6 min. The return takes 18 min longer: its track runs against 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.
What 60.1 µSv compares with
| Compared with | Its dose | This flight is |
|---|---|---|
| Chest X-Ray | 0.1 mSv | about two thirds of a chest X-ray |
| Dental X-Ray | 0.005 mSv | about 12 dental X-rays |
| Background Radiation (Daily) | 0.008 mSv | about 7.5 days of natural background radiation |
| Mammogram | 0.4 mSv | about 15% of a mammogram |
| Head CT Scan | 2 mSv | about 3% of a head CT scan |
| Eating a Banana | 0.0001 mSv | about 601 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 0.0435 mSv, 28% less than at 35,000 ft; at 41,000 ft it would receive 0.0873 mSv, 45% 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 2 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 64% 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.
Other routes from HKG
No other routes from HKG are published yet.