Cosmic rays race across space at nearly light speed
Cosmic rays, subatomic particles from explosive stellar events, hurtle through space at nearly light speed, offering a natural laboratory for extreme physics.
Imagine subatomic particles, mostly protons, zipping through the cosmos at over 99% the speed of light! These 'cosmic rays' originate from violent events like supernova explosions, where shock waves accelerate them to extreme velocities. Discovered in 1912, they constantly bombard Earth, carrying energies far beyond what our most powerful particle accelerators can achieve.
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