Cosmic rays, responsible for rays and clouds

2009/11/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Fisika
• Astrofisika

According to two studies, the rays coming from space have to do with the usual processes of the Earth's atmosphere. According to one study, cosmic rays are necessary to create rays and, according to the other, they participate in the creation of clouds.

The first was held at the Florida Institute of Technology. In his opinion, the traditional theory of the formation of rays is not correct; the theory holds that in the storms are generated zones of high electrical voltage in the clouds, where the beams of electrons of atoms are released, constituting the flow of the atoms. But in the clouds a point has never been measured with this electrical voltage. According to Florida researchers, on the contrary, electrons are detached from the shocks of cosmic rays. This new theory is still unproven, but it is thought to be easy to demonstrate, as cosmic rays emit radio waves during dispersion and shock, which are easily measurable.

The second research was carried out at the Technical University of Copenhagen. This team has confirmed that cosmic rays participate in the creation of clouds. On the one hand, it has been verified in the laboratory that this type of rays provoke the process of binding of water molecules (beginning of the process of formation of clouds). On the other hand, in the records it has been observed that when cosmic rays are reduced considerably, the amount of clouds in the atmosphere is less. This sharp decline is known as Forbush restriction, where the very large ejections of the Sun's corona mass act as screens, protecting the Earth from cosmic rays. Researchers in Copenhagen have found that historically Forbush restrictions have decreased the amount of atmospheric clouds.