Researchers evaluate solar data and make surprising discovery – outer space

Researchers have found that the sun is emitting more gamma rays than previously thought. With the help of a very special telescope, they were able to detect rays with a strength of 10 trillion electron volts.

At first glance, the High-Altitude Water Cherenkov Observatory, HAWC, is a curious facility. The telescope consists of 300 huge water tanks. They have been placed at an altitude of 4100 meters above sea level on the Sierra Negra volcano in Mexico. The tanks measure the gamma radiation that hits the earth. Now, using the telescope, researchers have found that the sun emits much more energy in the form of gamma rays than previously thought.

Researchers evaluate solar data and make a surprising discovery

While visible light has a strength of one electron volt, the researchers have now been able to detect gamma rays with a strength of 10 trillion electron volts. How the sun can generate gamma rays with such high energy has so far been a mystery to the scientists. Gamma rays are produced when atomic nuclei decay. They are a specific form of electromagnetic radiation that occurs inside the Sun due to the processes of nuclear fusion and are released by collisions with cosmic rays. However, the new discovery has no impact on power generation with solar systems.

The original to this article “Researchers evaluate solar data and make a surprising discovery” comes from Bit Projects.