Scientists Make Breakthrough: Object Travels at 99.99999999999999999999951% of the Speed of Light Unveiled

 

This remarkable discovery greatly enhances our comprehension of the Universe.

One of the most captivating terms I've encountered in the field of physics is the "Astounding Particle." Scientists also refer to this particle as the "astonishing particle" (just kidding, kidding. It's not really called that, but it is known as the "Astounding Particle"). Now, you might immediately think of the Higgs Boson, which was uncovered in 2012.

This is not too surprising since the media often referred to it as the "God Particle." However, these two particles are quite distinct. So what exactly is the Astounding Particle? Well, it is a simple proton. But why such a name?

This proton possessed the equivalent mass-energy of a baseball hurtling at a speed of 90 km/h (56 mph)! This type of particle is categorized as a cosmic ray, typically composed of protons, although occasionally it can be a helium atom or even an electron. What makes them fascinating is that they travel at velocities very close to the speed of light, and the Astounding Particle is the fastest ever detected.

Back in 1991, this ultra-high-energy particle was discovered in Utah and is believed to have originated from the vicinity of the Supermassive Black Hole in the Centaurus A galaxy before making its journey to Earth. Now, we mentioned that it was traveling near the speed of light...

But how close exactly? Well, this proton had an energy level of approximately 50 joules, which is sufficient to momentarily illuminate a 50 Watt light bulb. While this may not seem like a substantial amount of energy, considering that a single proton weighs 1.67e-27 kg (or 0.167 followed by 26 zeroes), it must have possessed an incredible velocity.

And that velocity has been calculated to be about 99.9999999999999999999995% of the speed of light! This means that, per second, it was only 1.5 quadrillionths of a meter slower than the speed of light. However, you need not worry, as even though this particle had the mass-energy of a baseball, if you were to be struck on the head by one while walking down the street, it wouldn't render you unconscious.

I hope you can now appreciate why it is called the Astounding Particle. The scientists who detected this particle probably exclaimed those words when they realized the extraordinary speed at which that lone proton was traveling.