Ionizing radiation
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Ionizing radiation, also spelled ionising radiation, consists of subatomic particles or electromagnetic waves that have enough energy per individual photon or particle to ionize atoms or molecules by
Cloud chambers are used to visualize ionizing radiation. This image shows the tracks of particles, which ionize saturated air and leave a trail of water vapour.
Ionized air glows blue around a beam of particulate ionizing radiation from a cyclotron
Cosmic ray
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Cosmic rays or astroparticles are high-energy particles or clusters of particles that move through space at nearly the speed of light. They originate from outside the Solar System — from the Milky Way
Pacini makes a measurement in 1910.
Increase of ionization with altitude as measured by Hess in 1912 (left) and by Kolhörster (right)
Hess lands after his balloon flight in 1912.
Sources of ionizing radiation in interplanetary space.