Cosmic rays are very high-energy particles, mainly originating outside the Solar System. They may produce showers of secondary particles that penetrate and impact the Earth's atmosphere and sometimes even reach the surface. Comprised primarily of high-energy protons and atomic nuclei, their origin has, until recently, been a mystery. With data from the Fermi space telescope published in February 2013, it is now known that cosmic rays primarily originate from the supernovae of massive stars. During the years from 1930 to 1945, a wide variety of investigations confirmed that the primary cosmic r
Cosmic rays are very high-energy particles, mainly originating outside the Solar System. They may produce showers of secondary particles that penetrate and impact the Earth's atmosphere and sometimes even reach the surface. Comprised primarily of high-energy protons and atomic nuclei, their origin has, until recently, been a mystery. With data from the Fermi space telescope published in February 2013, it is now known that cosmic rays primarily originate from the supernovae of massive stars. During the years from 1930 to 1945, a wide variety of investigations confirmed that the primary cosmic rays are mostly protons, and the secondary radiation produced in the atmosphere is primarily electrons, photons and muons. In 1948, observations with nuclear emulsions carried by balloons to near the top of the atmosphere showed that approximately 10% of the primaries are helium nuclei (alpha particles) and 1% are heavier nuclei of the elements such as carbon, iron, and lead.
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