cosmic ray

noun

: a stream of atomic nuclei of extremely penetrating character that enter the earth's atmosphere from outer space at speeds approaching that of light

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With trillions of times the energy of visible light, these cosmic rays seem to be coming from a powerful source relatively close to our solar system. —

Michael Irving, New Atlas, 29 Nov. 2024 Carbon-14 continually forms in Earth’s atmosphere when cosmic rays react with oxygen to form carbon dioxide. —

Jamie Carter, Forbes, 28 Nov. 2024 First discovered in 1947, kaons aren’t commonly found in nature but can be created inside particle detectors, as well as by cosmic rays crashing into Earth’s atmosphere. —

Clara Moskowitz, Scientific American, 1 Oct. 2024 This atmosphere, along with a huge magnet in the center of the Earth, helps protect us from the Sun’s harmful radiation, mostly solar wind and cosmic rays. —

Thomas Orlando, Discover Magazine, 9 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for cosmic ray