Cosmic ray

Cosmic rays can loosely be defined as radiation consisting of energetic particles originating outside of the Earth. The composition of such rays includes electrons, protons, gamma rays, and atomic nuclei from a large region of the periodic table. Though neutrons are not stable, the relativistic time dilation may allow them to reach Earth at very high energies.

Related Topics:
Radiation - Particle - Earth - Electron - Proton - Gamma rays - Atomic nuclei - Periodic table

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The kinetic energies of cosmic ray particles span over fourteen orders of magnitude, with the flux of cosmic rays on the Earth's surface falling approximately as the inverse cube of the energy. The wide variety of particle energies is reflected in the wide variety of sources. Cosmic rays originate from energetic processes on the Sun all the way to the farthest reaches of the visible universe. Cosmic rays can have energies up to 1020 eV.

Related Topics:
Kinetic energies - Flux - Sun - Universe - EV

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