Cosmic Rays: Solving a Celestial Mystery
After Searching Over 100 Years, Scientists May Finally Have Answers
What Are Cosmic Rays?
Traveling close to the speed of light, these atom fragments hit Earth’s atmosphere seemingly from all directions. They are made mostly of protons, positively charged particles, and atomic nuclei. In fact, 90% of cosmic rays are made up of hydrogen atoms. Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe and the primary ingredient in stars.
When they interact with atoms in the atmosphere, they cause “air showers,” cascades of ionized particles, and the electromagnetic radiation associated with them. Cosmic rays have been known to cause problems with the electrical equipment on satellites, erode icy, interstellar objects, and make Mario behave erratically during a gamer’s speedrun.
A full understanding of cosmic rays may be key to understanding the workings of our universe, including star formation. According to ScienceDaily:
This instability and turbulence it creates may be the source of many astrophysical phenomena, and it shows how cosmic rays play a role in the big circus of our Milky Way.
How Were They Discovered?
Before cosmic rays were officially detected, scientists were aware of the phenomena but weren’t sure of their nature or origin. In the 1780s, Charles Augustin de Coulomb discovered that an electrically charged sphere he was working with lost its charge. Previously, air was believed to be an insulator rather than a conductor, but Coulomb’s strange experience showed that air becomes a conductor when particles are ionized. However, they didn’t understand the process by which that happened.
In the early 1900s, scientists believed that all radiation was emitted from the Earth itself. Then, in 1911, Domenico Pacini measured radiation levels over a lake, under the ocean, and 9 feet off the ground. He found lower levels under the ocean, proving that some radiation must originate elsewhere.
In 1912, Victor Hess measured radiation 3.3 miles above the surface in a hot-air balloon during a solar eclipse. He discovered a fourfold increase in radioactive particles, proving their cosmic roots. He later received a Nobel Prize for his groundbreaking work.
Where Did They Come From?
In 2017, astronomers at Pierre Auger Observatory found that cosmic rays arrive more frequently from some regions of space, which gave researchers focus points for study. Scientists have long thought cosmic rays were created and accelerated by supernovae or gamma-ray bursts.
More recently, a team at the University of Nagoya, the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, and the University of Adelaide, Australia, observed a supernova remnant. They quantified the protons emitted by a supernova explosion, which is the best evidence we have yet that dying stars create cosmic rays.
Citizen Scientists: Gathering Data on Your Smart Phone
To definitively solve the mystery, astrophysicists need to collect more data. Crayfis has launched a groundbreaking grassroots initiative to do just that. According to their website:
Modern smartphones contain high-resolution cameras with digital sensors which are sensitive to the particles in a cosmic ray shower. They know where they are (GPS) and can upload their data (wi-fi). Most importantly, there are 1.5 billion active smartphones spread across the planet. Essentially, this detector has already been deployed; all that is missing is the app to collect the data.
Citizen science has become increasingly beneficial to the scientific community as it allows essential data to be collected on a grand scale. To take part, all you need to do is download their beta app, which is currently available for Android and will soon be available for IOS.
Thanks for reading! If you’ve enjoyed this piece, you may also like A Little Girl With Her Head in the Stars, Roopkund: The Mystery of Skeleton Lake, or Bark Beetle Scourge in Utah!
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