the.com/cosmic rays
the universe flicking sub-atomic pebbles at your face at nearly light speed, forever.
means high-energy particles, mostly protons, blasted from supernovae and other cosmic violence, that constantly rain down on earth's atmosphere.
from named in the 1920s by physicist Robert Millikan, who assumed they were gamma rays from outer space and coined the term before anyone knew what they actually were.
discovery altitudefound via balloon flights by Victor Hess in 1912
energy recordone particle hit energy of a thrown baseball
your bodyabsorbs several cosmic ray hits every second
mutation driversuspected contributor to dna damage and evolution