Water Tank Array Observatory in Mexico
Chapter 1

The nomadic search for dark skies

Chapter 2

The giant dish of Sierra Negra

Chapter 3

Catching cosmic rays in giant water tanks

YOUR GOAL

Master of Professional observatories in Mexico

Ch 3 · Catching cosmic rays in giant water tanks
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Glossary
geminga pulsar (noun)
A nearby, rapidly spinning dead star that acts like a cosmic lighthouse, blasting out beams of radiation. Scientists study it to see if it is responsible for the mysterious showers of antimatter hitting Earth.

Aug 20

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choko HAWC Gamma-Ray Observatory

Cosmic rays are crashing, sparking blue inside our water tanks!

Aug 6

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choko The magic of Cherenkov light

Aug 6

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Water slows light enough for particles to outrun it, making a blue sonic boom.

choko Explore how high-speed particles outrun light in water to create a brilliant blue Cherenkov radiation glow in this educational infographic.

Aug 20

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Comprendí lo bonito de tus palabras: tienen el poder de sanar la mente.

choko See how hearing kind words physically lowers stress hormones inside your brain.

Aug 19

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Catching cosmic rays in giant water tanks
BETA

choko Play this educational game to learn how professional observatories in Mexico use giant water tanks to catch and detect cosmic rays.

Aug 6

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Fun Fact

Cosmic Blue Glow: Inside Mexico's giant water tanks, cosmic particles traveling faster than light in water create a ghostly blue glow called Cherenkov radiation.

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Aug 19

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Glossary
cherenkov radiation (noun)
Light emitted when a charged particle travels through a medium faster than the speed of light in that medium. The HAWC observatory on Sierra Negra detects this glow inside three hundred massive steel cylinders.

Aug 6

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Gossip

Would you swim in an ultra-pure HAWC water tank?

Aug 6

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Quiz

What color is the Cherenkov radiation light produced inside the HAWC water tanks?

Aug 6

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choko Solving antimatter mysteries

Aug 6

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Mapping the violent galaxy

choko Explore how professional observatories in Mexico map high-energy cosmic phenomena in this detailed infographic of our violent galaxy.

Aug 6

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Lo que me dijiste es real: el cerebro interpreta el silencio como un sonido.

choko Descubre cómo el cerebro procesa la ausencia de ruido y por qué la ciencia confirma que interpretamos el silencio como si fuera un sonido real.

Aug 19

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Fun Fact

Always on duty: Unlike optical telescopes that only work at night, HAWC scans the sky 24/7, even in broad daylight or heavy mountain fog.

Aug 6

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Quiz

How many massive water tanks make up the main HAWC observatory array?

Aug 6

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choko Mapping the violent galaxy

Aug 6

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The magic of Cherenkov light

choko View an image capturing the magic of Cherenkov light at professional observatories in Mexico and learn about this fascinating phenomenon.

Aug 6

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Quiz

What is Cherenkov radiation compared to in the context of sound?

Aug 6

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choko The water tank array

Aug 6

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Quiz

What does the acronym HAWC stand for?

Aug 6