New observations help astronomers hone in on a long-standing mystery about where cosmic rays come from.
The Crab Nebula is one source of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays.
(Image credit: NASA, ESA, J. Hester and A. Loll (Arizona State University))
A century-old celestial mystery is one step closer to being solved as researchers discover a dozen ultra-powerful natural particle accelerators in our galaxy.
The findings help astronomers understand the origin of cosmic rays charged particles and atomic nuclei flying through space at near light speed that have been imbued with mind-boggling amounts of energy.
Discovered in 1912, cosmic rays arrive from almost every direction in the Milky Way, though scientists have yet to determine exactly how they reach their ultra-fast speeds,