CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Nov. 15 (UPI) -- NASA says its Chandra X-ray Observatory has provided new clues about the origins of cosmic rays -- mysterious high-energy particles that bombard the Earth.
Scientists say Chandra has captured an extraordinarily detailed image of the remains of an exploded star, allowing astronomers, for the first time, to map the rate of acceleration of cosmic ray electrons in a supernova remnant.
The new map shows the electrons are being accelerated at close to the theoretical maximum rate, providing compelling evidence that supernova remnants are key sites for energizing charged particles.
"Scientists have theorized since the 1960s that cosmic rays must be created in the tangle of magnetic fields at the shock but here we can see this happening directly," said Michael Stage of the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. "Explaining where cosmic rays come from helps us to understand other mysterious phenomena in the high-energy universe."
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Marshall Space Flight Center manages the Chandra program, while the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory controls science and flight operations from the Chandra X-ray Center in Cambridge, Mass.
