Earth is being hammered by the most powerful cosmic particles ever detected, according to new findings from a telescope array in Namibia’s desert. These subatomic bullets pack 40 trillion electron volts of energy – three times more powerful than anything our most advanced particle accelerators can produce.
While that might not sound impressive (a typical red LED emits 4.5 thousans times more energy in a second), the key is that all this energy is concentrated into a single subatomic particle. Fortunately, Earth’s atmosphere acts as a protective shield against these cosmic bullets.
Scientists at the High Energy Stereoscopic System (H.E.S.S.) Observatory who spotted these supercharged particles believe they’re coming from somewhere surprisingly close – cosmically speaking.
“This is an important result, as we can conclude that the measured CRe most likely originate from very few sources in the vicinity of our own solar system, up to a maximum of a few 1000 light years away, a very small distance compared to the size of our Galaxy,” said Kathrin Egberts of the University of Potsdam, an author of the study.
The leading suspects include “a supernova remnant called the Monogem Ring; a dying star of the Wolf-Rayet type called γ2 Velorum; or a pulsar like Vela or Geminga.”
Previously:
• Universe’s most powerful blast ever seen witnessed this week
• Death from space — gamma-ray bursts explained
• Scientists just observed the largest explosion ever and it was made of Gamma Rays
This post was originally published on here
