Cosmic rays were discovered in 1912 by Victor Hess. These are fragments of atoms that reach Earth from beyond the solar system. They travel nearly at the speed of light and are said to cause electronic problems in satellites and other machinery.
Though a century has passed since their discovery, cosmic rays still remain an enigma. We are still unsure about the source of cosmic rays. Most scientists associate their origins to supernovas (explosions of stars). However, they appear uniform when you look across the entire sky through observatories.
The year 2017 saw major advancements in cosmic ray science. Pierre Auger Observatory which is spread over 3,000 square kilometres in western Argentina studied the arrival trajectories of 30,000 cosmic particles. Depending on where they looked, the observatory found differences in the frequency at which these cosmic rays arrived.
The exact origins of cosmic rays are still hazy, but scientists agree that the first step is knowing where they ought to look.
Picture Credit : Google