X-ray

X-ray was a segment of the electromagnetic wave spectrum, between ultraviolet light and gamma rays. Sensors for detecting these waves were installed aboard droid tri-fighters and buzz droids. Machines using x-rays were also used in medicine, and checkpoint security purposes.

X-ray opaque objects and areas X-rays unable to penetrate will produce black areas in the image and such areas are referred to as “X-ray Opaque”. Thick metals, crystal, and some types of glass, e.g. camera lenses, which include special lead compounds added to the glass will also be opaque.

When the human body is X-rayed, the bones, which are composed of elements of a higher atomic weight than the surrounding flesh, absorb the radiation more effectively and will cast darker shadows on a photographic plate. However, a different type of X-ray image is produced in medicine, called Neutron Radiography. This gives the opposite effect in images produced, which is why bones look white in medical X-rays, even though they are denser than the surrounding tissue and organs. In a security x-ray, the denser an area – the DARKER it appears.

Text and facts from the “X-ray/Legends” article on Wookieepedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. Modified for this site.