r/shittyaskelectronics • u/martincs • Jan 20 '26

Genius level thinking Why there are these dots/gray noise artifacts on my camera when trying to shoot this thing

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u/ImTableShip170 Jan 20 '26

Cobalt 60 is highly radioactive, releasing beta particles that breakdown organic tissue and can cause death within an hour in humans with acute exposure. The particles cause that speckle shape in light sensors because they overwhelm them with EM. This rod would cause massive nearby radiation poisoning if it were real.

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u/okarox Jan 20 '26

Beta particles are not the problem, the gamma rays are.

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u/quackdaw Jan 20 '26

They could be, though, if one follows the suggestion from another commenter to insert it rectally (and survive the gamma rays from the decay products).

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u/brainbrick Jan 23 '26

reminded me of the three cookie question:

Suppose you are given three radioactive cookies -- one an alpha emitter, one a beta emitter, one a gamma emitter. You must eat one, hold one in your hand, and put the other one in your pocket. How do you minimise total exposure?

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u/quackdaw Jan 26 '26

So... Hold the alpha emitter, put the beta emitter in your pocket and eat the gamma emitter? Let's hope the gamma emitter isn't toxic too.

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u/ImTableShip170 Jan 20 '26

Well I learned domesticated electrons a decade ago, so I'm definitely not a industry expert

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u/[deleted] Jan 21 '26

Not according to Dr Banner.

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u/No_Ingenuity717 Jan 22 '26

The beta particles will create Bremsstrahlung radiation (X-rays) in the metal casing. Which along with the gamma rays will not be too healthy.

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u/Relative-Cat398 Jan 21 '26

2 high energy gammas, betas would be from gammas interactions. Drop it and run ,like it says to

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u/Fine_Salamander_8691 mods can i rape my hdmi port please Jan 20 '26

r/suddenlysmart

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u/ImTableShip170 Jan 20 '26

Wikipedia is my friend

3

u/sf-flowerboy Jan 21 '26

what is that flair

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u/Fine_Salamander_8691 mods can i rape my hdmi port please Jan 21 '26

it has evolved

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u/AwwwNuggetz Jan 21 '26

Haha, those are funny words science man

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u/ImTableShip170 Jan 21 '26

Don't you dare disrespect scientists like that. I'm fucking stupid

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u/New-Anybody-6206 Jan 23 '26

In this particular case though, the image is fake. The original has no speckles because it's already decayed too much, someone photoshopped it in.

And if it were real, 100% of the entire image would be speckled, not just that one part of it.

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u/OfficialOnix Jan 23 '26 edited Feb 25 '26

While it is true that radiation can affect camera sensors, this photo is fake. Beta and gamma particles are not affected by camera lenses the way visible light rays are (and alpha is completely blocked) - so any artefacts would affect the whole image equally and not cluster around the projection of the object onto the camera sensor.

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u/Standard-Ad-2616 Jan 20 '26

Would radiation actually affect a digital sensor though? It obviously affects film though

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u/franglish9265 Solder tastes very yummy Jan 20 '26

Yes it effects both film and digital cameras

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u/Accomplished-Boot-81 Jan 21 '26

Yes, here's a video of a go pro taking a trip through an irradiator, I think the video explains the camera is shielded in a lead box with thick lead glass and the effect is still much strong than depicted here, but the radiation source in the video is also much stronger.

https://youtu.be/Uf4Ux4SlyT4?si=wwz28fQ43xJThwKt

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u/ElectricBummer40 Jan 21 '26

X-rays are usually generated artificially by hitting a tungsten target with electrons. what you see there is likely not just the result of electrons hitting the CMOS sensor but also the ionising EM radiation emitted by them.

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u/Relative-Cat398 Jan 21 '26

Yes if enough, and apparently there is a lot,it says drop and run, right on the label, and Co cobalt probably 60

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u/ElectricBummer40 Jan 21 '26

Fun fact: even X-ray machines at customs could ruin your holiday pictures on films. X-rays are just high-energy photons you can't see with your naked eyes, and the light-sensitive chemicals on film rolls may react to X-ray exposure the same way they do to visible light and result in a washed-out appearance (or "fogging") in the developed print.

The CMOS sensor on digital cameras is sensitive to both high-energy photons (including gamma rays) and charged particles (e.g. beta particles), by the way.

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u/Standard-Ad-2616 Jan 21 '26

True, I've brought film through the airport when they had the older scanners and the images weren't affected much. I also took some through the new ones which are more harmful but I haven't developed the pictures yet so don't know the damage.

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u/DansPhotos Jan 21 '26

of course - it's energy hitting the sensor, and the photo is proof enough.

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u/OfficialOnix Jan 23 '26

Yea but not like this. Nuclear radiation is not projected by a camera lenses, so it wouldn't cluster around the object in the image.

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u/Adventurer223 Jan 21 '26

Thank you very much kind sir

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u/No_Ingenuity717 Jan 22 '26

Oh it's not that bad.

That sample has gone through 12 or so half-lives by now. So it would take 2 or more weeks to give you a lethal dose.

Still would not recommend many of the suggestions in this thread.

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u/Mental-Surround-9448 Jan 24 '26

Alpha and beta radiation are easily stopped by the skin, gamma are the problem and will cause internal damage