Cosmic Rays to Light Up Paris!
source: http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2009/10/cosmic-rays-light-up-paris.html
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- pjacobs51
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The night sky of Paris, always a romantic view, is being lit up with lasers this week in memory of a man who helped illuminate all humankind. A century ago a German scientist scaled the Eiffel tower to investigate atmospheric radiation, and now we know far more about the effect we still think it's cool.
Theodor Wulf was a priest and scientist, back when it was possible to be both, investigating atmospheric radiation. Understanding that some radioactive particles are emitted from the Earth, he built an elektrometer capable of detecting them and climbed the Eiffel tower to show that the readings reduced with height. Instead they increased, and because he was a real scientist he did the right thing - reporting the results even though they disagreed with established beliefs. Also, he built an "elektrometer" and climbed a national landmark with it - that's better than Doctor Doom manages most days.
The extra emanations originate from the entire universe - "cosmic rays", high-speed protons and nuclei bombarding the Earth from high-energy events up there, and by our tiny terrestrial standards "high energy" is almost everything - from solar flares to supernova shockwaves. These particles plow into the upper atmosphere and almost immediately explode into a shower of subatomic splinters when they hit atoms of air, including muons, pions, and kaons, at least two of which you might not have even known was a real thing until just now. Despite several passing through you as you read that sentence. And again just now.
The "Cosmic Opera" has muon detector on top of the two-hundred meter Montparnasse tower, triggering laser beams from the Paris Observatory every time one is detected. It's a beautiful tribute to a true scientist, demonstrating just how far we've come, how well we understand what he tried to tell us, and how cool we can look as we do it.
Theodor Wulf was a priest and scientist, back when it was possible to be both, investigating atmospheric radiation. Understanding that some radioactive particles are emitted from the Earth, he built an elektrometer capable of detecting them and climbed the Eiffel tower to show that the readings reduced with height. Instead they increased, and because he was a real scientist he did the right thing - reporting the results even though they disagreed with established beliefs. Also, he built an "elektrometer" and climbed a national landmark with it - that's better than Doctor Doom manages most days.
The extra emanations originate from the entire universe - "cosmic rays", high-speed protons and nuclei bombarding the Earth from high-energy events up there, and by our tiny terrestrial standards "high energy" is almost everything - from solar flares to supernova shockwaves. These particles plow into the upper atmosphere and almost immediately explode into a shower of subatomic splinters when they hit atoms of air, including muons, pions, and kaons, at least two of which you might not have even known was a real thing until just now. Despite several passing through you as you read that sentence. And again just now.
The "Cosmic Opera" has muon detector on top of the two-hundred meter Montparnasse tower, triggering laser beams from the Paris Observatory every time one is detected. It's a beautiful tribute to a true scientist, demonstrating just how far we've come, how well we understand what he tried to tell us, and how cool we can look as we do it.
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sophosthegreat
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what a fab idea, paris is always amazing at night
- 2 years ago
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sophosthegreat
