Cosmic rays tonight bbc news 2018

Here's a summary of a BBC News article from 2018 about cosmic rays:

Title: "Cosmic rays: Mysterious particles bombard Earth from space"

Date: August 23, 2018

Summary: Scientists have detected a surge in cosmic rays, high-energy particles that bombard the Earth from space. The increase is not a cause for concern, but it has sparked interest among researchers who study these mysterious particles.

Cosmic rays are primarily composed of protons, helium nuclei, and heavier ions, and are thought to originate from outside the solar system. They are accelerated by powerful astrophysical sources, such as supernovae explosions and active galactic nuclei.

The latest surge in cosmic rays was detected by the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) experiment on the International Space Station (ISS). The AMS is a particle detector that has been monitoring cosmic rays since 2011.

According to the researchers, the increase in cosmic rays is not a sudden event, but rather a gradual rise over the past few years. The team believes that the surge may be related to changes in the solar wind, a stream of charged particles emitted by the Sun.

Dr. Ben Smith, a physicist at the University of California, Berkeley, and a member of the AMS team, said: "The increase in cosmic rays is not a cause for concern, but it's an interesting phenomenon that can help us better understand the origins of these particles."

The researchers plan to continue monitoring the cosmic rays to learn more about their behavior and the sources that produce them.