Exploring Cosmic Rays Through the Shadows

At this week's American Physical Society Meeting in Washington, DC, researchers from an observatory in Mexico unveiled unique images featuring a kind of shadow of the moon and sun. The images don't contain a lot of new information about the sun and moon, but are a way of studying charged particles known as cosmic rays that move at really high speeds--their properties, interactions with magnetic fields, and even a bit about where they come from.First, let's talk shadows. If you place your hand be...