Cosmic Rays - Where Do They Come From

Cosmic rays sound like some kind of science-fiction menace from outer space. It turns out, that in high-enough amounts, they are. On the other hand, cosmic rays pass through us every day without doing much (if any harm). So, what are these mysterious pieces of cosmic energy? Defining Cosmic Rays The term cosmic ray refers to high-speed particles that travel the universe. Theyre everywhere. Chances are very good that cosmic rays have passed through everyones body at some time or another, particularly if they live at high altitude or have flown in an airplane. Earth is well-protected against all but the most energetic of these rays, so they dont really pose a danger to us in our everyday lives. Cosmic rays provide fascinating clues to objects and events elsewhere in the universe, such as the deaths of massive stars (called  supernova explosions) and activity on the Sun, so astronomers study them using high-altitude balloons and space-based instruments. That research is providing exciting new insight into the origins and evolution of stars and galaxies in the universe.   Cosmic rays come from supernova explosions, among other processes in the universe. This is a Combined infrared and x-ray images of a supernova remnant called W44. Several telescopes looked at it to get the image. When the star that created this scene exploded, it sent out cosmic rays and other high-energy particles, as well as radio, infrared, x-ray, ultraviolet, and visible light. NASA/CXC and NASA/JPL-CalTech What Are Cosmic Rays? Cosmic rays are extremely high-energy charged particles (usually protons) that move at nearly the speed of light. Some come from the Sun (in the form of solar energetic particles), while others are ejected from supernova explosions and other energetic events in interstellar (and intergalactic) space.  When cosmic rays collide with Earths atmosphere, they produce showers of what are called secondary particles. History of Cosmic Ray Studies The existence of cosmic rays has been known for more than a century. They were first found by physicist Victor Hess. He launched high-accuracy electrometers aboard weather balloons in 1912 to measure the ionization rate of atoms (that is, how quickly and how often atoms are energized) in upper layers of Earths atmosphere. What he discovered was that the ionization rate was much greater the higher you rise in the atmosphere — a discovery for which he later won the Nobel Prize. This flew in the face of conventional wisdom. His first instinct on how to explain this was that some solar phenomenon was creating this effect. However, after repeating his experiments during a near solar eclipse he obtained the same results, effectively ruling out any solar origin for, Therefore, he concluded that there must be some intrinsic electric field in the atmosphere creating the observed ionization, though he could not deduce what the source of the field would be. It was more than a decade later before physicist Robert Millikan was able to prove that the electric field in the atmosphere observed by Hess was instead a flux of photons and electrons. He called this phenomenon cosmic rays and they streamed through our atmosphere. He also determined that these particles werent from Earth or the near-Earth environment, but rather came from deep space. The next challenge was to figure out what processes or objects could have been creating them.   Ongoing Studies of Cosmic Ray Properties Since that time, scientists have continued to use high-flying balloons to get above the atmosphere and sample more of these high-speed particles. The region above Antartica at the south pole is a favored launching spot, and a number of missions have collected more information about cosmic rays. There, the National Science Balloon Facility is home to several instrument-laden flights each year. The cosmic ray counters they carry measure the energy of cosmic rays, as well as their directions and intensities. A long-duration balloon flight from Antarctica can be used to detect cosmic rays. NASA The  International Space Station also contains instruments that study the properties of cosmic rays, including the Cosmic Ray Energetics and Mass (CREAM) experiment. Installed in 2017, it has a three-year mission to collect as much data as possible on these fast-moving particles. CREAM actually began as a balloon experiment, and it flew seven times between 2004 and 2016. Figuring out the Sources of Cosmic Rays Because cosmic rays are composed of charged particles their paths can be altered by any magnetic field that it comes into contact with. Naturally, objects like stars and planets have magnetic fields, but interstellar magnetic fields also exist. This makes predicting where (and how strong) magnetic fields are extremely difficult. And since these magnetic fields persist throughout all space, they appear in every direction. Therefore it is not surprising that from our vantage point here on Earth it appears that cosmic rays do not appear to arrive from any one point in space. Determining the source of cosmic rays proved difficult for many years. However, there are some assumptions that can be assumed. First of all, the nature of cosmic rays as extremely high-energy charged particles implied that they are produced by rather powerful activities. So events like supernovae or regions around black holes seemed to be likely candidates. The Sun  emits something similar to cosmic rays in the form of highly energetic particles. The Sun emits streams of energized particles and cosmic rays. SOHO/Extreme Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (EIT) consortium In 1949 physicist Enrico Fermi suggested that cosmic rays were simply particles accelerated by magnetic fields in interstellar gas clouds. And, since you need a rather large field to create the highest-energy cosmic rays, scientists began looking at supernova remnants (and other large objects in space) as the likely source.   Cosmic rays could stream from highly energetic events in the distant universe, such as activities associated with quasars. An artistic look at what an early distant quasar might look like. ESO/M. Kornmesser In June 2008 NASA launched a  gamma-ray telescope known as Fermi — named for Enrico Fermi. While Fermi is a gamma-ray telescope, one of its main science goals was to determine the origins of cosmic rays. Coupled with other studies of cosmic rays by balloons and space-based instruments, astronomers now look to supernova remnants, and such exotic objects as supermassive black holes as sources for the most highly energetic cosmic rays detected here on Earth. Fast Facts Cosmic rays come from around the universe and can be generated by such events as supernova explosions.High-speed particles are also generated in other energetic events such as quasar activities.The Sun also sends out cosmic rays in the form or solar energetic particles. Cosmic rays can be detected on Earth in various ways. Some museums have cosmic ray detectors as exhibits. Sources â€Å"Cosmic Rays Exposure.†Ã‚  Radioactivity : Iodine 131, www.radioactivity.eu.com/site/pages/Dose_Cosmic.htm.NASA, NASA, imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/science/toolbox/cosmic_rays1.html.RSS, www.ep.ph.bham.ac.uk/general/outreach/SparkChamber/text2h.html. Edited and updated by Carolyn Collins Petersen.