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Origin of Cosmic Rays Confirmed

Posted by kdawson on from the just-as-we-suspected dept.

cats-paw writes in with news of research that seems to confirm and support current theories of how cosmic rays are created. The prevailing thinking has been that cosmic rays are generated in the regions where supernovas' shock waves interact with the interstellar medium. The new research used the variability in X-ray emissions from a supernova remnant to estimate the strength of the magnetic fields present in that environment. The results lend support to the possibility of protons and nucleii being accelerated in supernova remnants to energies of 1 PeV (10^15 eV) and beyond. Here is the abstract from Nature.

19 of 155 comments (clear)

  1. Synopsis by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    The Cosmos

  2. d'oh by User+956 · · Score: 4, Funny

    research that seems to confirm and support current theories of how cosmic rays are created.

    Oh, great, now that everyone knows how to make them, the Fantastic Four are going to be up to their eyeballs in supervillainry.

    --
    The theory of relativity doesn't work right in Arkansas.
  3. When I punch 10^15 eV into Google... by nexuspal · · Score: 3, Funny

    It comes back with .00160217 joules. Isn't this a very small amount of energy, or am I missing something?

    --
    I've read Slashdot for the last 5 years, and now I start posting... Go figure :-P
    1. Re:When I punch 10^15 eV into Google... by British · · Score: 4, Funny

      But it would take a year to charge the gun. Kinda cancels itself out.

    2. Re:When I punch 10^15 eV into Google... by BlueParrot · · Score: 2, Funny
      No shit. Quoting wikipedia:

      The Oh-My-God particle (a play on the nickname "God particle" for the Higgs boson) is the nickname given to a particle observed on the evening of October 15, 1991, over Dugway Proving Grounds, Utah, estimated to have an energy of approximately 3 × 10**20 electronvolts, equivalent to about 50 joules


      50 joule proton... Almost makes you suspect the gods made a mistake with their pointer arithmetic. Either that or someone crossed the streams.
  4. According to the creation museum in Kansas by antifoidulus · · Score: 5, Funny

    they are created when God puts foil in his microwave :P

    --
    Monstar L
  5. Re:a good science post? by Icarus1919 · · Score: 4, Funny

    I'm sorry, but I refuse to read science news unless it's been submitted by Roland.

  6. Ya Know..... by IHC+Navistar · · Score: 2, Funny

    I think "Cosmic Ray's" would be a great name for a futuristic bar. That, or the "Space Bar".

    --
    Knowing Google's lust for data collection, the Soviet Union is still alive and well inside the psyche of Sergey Brin....
  7. Re:Very, very hot by Annymouse+Cowherd · · Score: 3, Funny

    Thats almost 6,500,000,000,000,000,000 degrees!!!!

  8. Re:Very, very hot by White+Flame · · Score: 5, Funny

    6,446,700,000,000,000,000 degrees! That's 6.4 billion billion degrees.

    But how many Libraries Of Congress On Fire is that?

  9. Re:nuclei, NOT nucleii by bazald · · Score: 2, Funny

    Stop trying to sound "smart" by ending words with "ii". Isn't it more likely that it was a simple error?
    --
    Insert self-referential sig here.
  10. Re:Interesting... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    No No No No No
    No No No No No No No
    No No No... Maybe

  11. Re:nuclei, NOT nucleii by ockegheim · · Score: 2, Funny

    "nucleus" -> "nuclei"

    For George Bush it's "nuculi", though "nuculei" sounds cooler.
    --
    I’m old enough to remember 16K of memory being described as “whopping”
  12. Re:Or perhaps ... by Austerity+Empowers · · Score: 2, Funny

    that's no galaxy

  13. Roasting Times by maz2331 · · Score: 3, Funny

    So, if I need to cook a turkey, how long should I leave it in at 6,446,700,000,000,000,000 degrees?

  14. Re:nuclei, NOT nucleii by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Nope. Never attribute to incompetence what can be explained by douchebaggery.

  15. Re:God did it! by tm2b · · Score: 4, Funny

    God created everything from cosmic rays to herpes.
    But obviously, in different stages of the relationship.
    --
    "It is our blasphemy which has made us great, and will sustain us, and which the gods secretly admire in us." - Zelazny
  16. compressed synopsis by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    42

  17. Re:Aunt Petunia's favorite nephew by BlueParrot · · Score: 2, Funny

    Benjamin Jacob Grimm says "Wear your lead lined skivvies if your going into space, kids"


    Of course, at this energy the impact of the proton with the lead would result in a lot of neutrons being released, and lead doesn't stop those very well. Maybe if you made some sort of composite-sandwich with lead followed by neutron moderating material and a neutron absorber. Of course, then the neutron-activation of the absorber would cause gamma-ray emissions, so you'd need another layer of lead, possibly followed by another neutron absorber. So, well, you might need something like lead-carbon-cadmium-lead-carbon-cadmium-lead lined underwear. Dry cleaning only, keep out of reach of children.