In 2021, an extremely powerful cosmic ray passed through the atmosphere and reached the Earth. After studying the phenomenon, astronomers around the world discovered something startling.
According to scholars, the energy particles contained in the beam, which was named Amaterasu, contain a uniquely powerful energy, similar to that seen in supernovae and other types of cosmic explosions colossal.
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The name Amaterasu was given to lightning as an allusion to the Japanese goddess of the Sun, a mythical being who would have “powers” similar to those demonstrated by lightning.
Amaterasu illustration. (Image: Osaka Metropolitan University/L-INSIGHT, Kyoto University/Ryuunosuke Takeshige)
Energetic cosmic rays are not new to Earth. These phenomena tend to be observed with certain frequency.
However, in the case of Amaterasu, both its power and its origin intrigue scientists.
As highlighted by John Matthews, professor at the University of Utah and one of the authors of the article that announced the discovery of lightning particles, the power of these elements is superior even to that seen in explosions of lightning. stars.
“Things that people think of as energetic, like supernovae, don’t have enough energy to do so,” he said.
Still in his speech, Matthews said that the lightning came “out of nowhere” and that its origin was not detected.
“If we trace its trajectory to its origin, there is nothing energetic enough to produce it,” he reported.
In short, Amaterasu is a cosmic ray of singular power whose origin is unknown. This is really intriguing!
Amaterasu's entry into Earth's atmosphere was detected simultaneously by the Array telescope, University of Utah, in the United States, and by instruments belonging to the University of Osaka, in the Japan.
In Japan, the person responsible for analyzing the discovery was Professor Toshihiro Fujii, who, like John Matthews, was amazed by the energy contained in Amaterasu.
“When I first discovered this ultra-high-energy cosmic ray, I thought there must be a mistake as it showed an energy level unprecedented in the last three decades,” he reported.
One of the theories formulated by astronomers in the last two years, since the discovery of Amaterasu, is that the cosmic ray would originate from a black hole.
This is because these supermassive objects can both absorb and release matter at the speed of light. The great energetic capacity of lightning, as well as its apparent lack of origin, can be explained in this way.
In any case, studies continue and the universities of Utah and Osaka have not yet issued a concrete opinion on the origin of Amaterasu and the real reasons why it was so powerful.
Graduated in History and Human Resources Technology. Passionate about writing, today he lives the dream of working professionally as a Web Content Writer, writing articles in several different niches and formats.
