An Etymological Dictionary of Astronomy and Astrophysics
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Extremely energetic atomic nuclei which travel through the Universe at practically the speed of light and strike the Earth from all direction. Almost 90% of all the incoming → primary cosmic rays are → protons, about 9% are helium nuclei (→ alpha particles) and about 1% are → electrons (beta minus particles). Some cosmic rays come from the Sun (mainly due to → solar flares), most come from galactic → supernovae, and a few with the highest energy are suspected to originate from outside the → Milky Way. As for their flux, about 1 charged particle per second per cm² impacts the Earth. The typical kinetic energy of these particles is about 10 MeV/nucleon to several GeV/nucleon, although there are some at higher energies. In fact, the cosmic ray with the highest energy has been measured above × 10²⁰ eV. These → ultra-high energy cosmic rays are suspected to be extragalactic, as there is no plausible mechanism of acceleration to these energies by a supernova, for example. Again, compare these energies to those of solar neutrinos that have only 0.26 MeV. Cosmic rays may be divided into → primary cosmic rays and → secondary cosmic rays. Their energy ranges from 10⁹ to 10²⁰  → electron-volts.

→ cosmic; → ray; The term "ray" is a misnomer, as cosmic particles arrive individually, not in the form of a ray or beam of particles.

Cosmic rays which typically have energies in the range 10¹⁵ to 10²⁰ electron volts. For the most part, they are protons and other atomic nuclei, and come from distant cosmos, perhaps even from outside our own Galaxy.

→ high; → energy; → cosmic; → ray.

The → cosmic rays which arrive on the Earth's → atmosphere from the outer space. The primary cosmic rays are very high energy → protons and to a lesser extent heavier nuclei which rain upon the Earth from all diretions in the outer space. They contain about 90% protons, 7% → alpha particles and about 1% still heavier nuclei of amost all the atoms from Li to Ni ( → mass number< 60). See also: → secondary cosmic rays.

→ primary; → cosmic; → ray.

A burst of secondary charged and neutral particles arising when → primary cosmic rays collide with the atmospheric oxygen or nitrogen nuclei in the upper atmosphere. The collision produces mostly → pions (π), along with some → kaons (K), → antiprotons, and → antineutrons. Neutral pions very quickly decay, usually into two → gamma rays. Charged pions also decay but after a longer time. Therefore, some of the pions may collide with yet another nucleus of the air before decaying, which would be into a → muon and a → neutrino. The fragments of the incoming nucleus also interact again, also producing new particles.

→ secondary; → cosmic; → ray.