Mysterious cosmic ray observed in Utah came from beyond our galaxy, scientists say
Scientists from Utah have recently identified an ultra-high-energy cosmic ray originating from outside our galaxy that is the most energetic cosmic ray ever observed.
The particle, which is being called the “Oh-My-God particle,” was detected on the night of Oct. 23 at the Telescope Array in Millard County, Utah, and has an energy of 3008 EeV. That’s equivalent to more than 38 joules of energy per particle, making it millions, if not billions, of times more energetic than particles generated in the Large Hadron Collider (LHC).
Now, researchers from the University of Utah believe they know where the particle came from. Using data from NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, they were able to trace the cosmic ray’s trajectory back to its origin, and determined it came from a distant active galactic nucleus, located far beyond our own Milky Way galaxy.
The unprecedented detection of this mysterious particle provides a tantalizing glimpse into the degree of the universe’s exotic particles. It also offers scientists the potential to further explore some of the most powerful forces and objects of the universe, such as black holes and other cosmic ray sources.