When radio signals get sent into space, do they ever fade?

Question

Like you know how if you are far away from the radio station reception is bad (because the radio waves get distorted or whatever) how clear would the radio signals that have already been sent out? Would they be totally distorted?

ALSO do radio signals eventually die out or do they just keep on going?

Answer 1

They spread out and therefore get weaker at any given point, just like a light does. A light source emits a certain amount of light, and at a distance of 1 meter that light is spread out over an area of about 12.5 square meters (the area of a sphere 1 meter in radius). But at a distance of 2 meters that same amount of light is spread out over 50 square meters, or 4 times as much area (the area of a sphere twice as wide). That is just simple geometry. Since the same amount of light has to spread out 4 times as much to cover all the places at twice the distance, it is 4 times weaker at any one point at that distance. Radio waves do the same thing. Unless they are in a tight beam, as from a parabolic antenna. Such a beam does not spread out as much and so does not get weak with distance as quickly. But even the best beam spreads out some, so it does get weaker with distance, just not as quickly.

And radio waves may get distorted by thin dust and gas clouds in space, as well as magnetic fields and the like.

But they really do go on forever.

Answer 2

The signals fade out, with the signal decreasing as the inverse square law. Eventually the signal will be much smaller than naturally-occurring noise on the same frequency, and will be effectively lost.

Also, interstellar space is not a perfect vacuum---it is filled with ionized plasma. This plasma causes distortion, because different frequencies travel at different speeds. The radio signal must have some variation in frequency in order to carry information, and this information can get distorted as a result of dispersion.

Answer 3

They fade according to the square of the distance. There is nothing to distort the signals in space so they will be good.

Answer 4

Of course they fade, as any electromagnetical emission (radio, light). Their frequency can also be different from that of the emission if the receiver is moving at a fast speed with respect to us.

Laser beams can reduce the signal fading, for they can be directed in a more narrow channel.

Answer 5

i'm shocked that the SETI has no longer heard a peep out deep area...all is silent. With the billions upon billions of stars and image voltaic platforms, in step with Drake's Equation, you would imagine we would've heard something through now. It purely took us below 2 hundred years to strengthen the technologies to attain and pay interest/note deep area, why hasn't there been an answer? Are we by myself interior the Universe??? it is no longer statistically likely, yet.....

Answer 6

The signals go on for ever but everytime they double their distance from the source, their strength goes down by a factor of four.

Answer 7

They spread out and become more difficult to detect. Just like light (a shorter wavelength form of electromagnetic energy), they keep on going for billions of years.

Answer 8

Electromagnetic radiation (of which radio is one form) will only change if it reacts with something else like matter or gravity.

Answer 9

Yes, they do disperse and hance decrease in energy.

Answer 10

never