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.
The nomadic search for dark skies
The giant dish of Sierra Negra
Catching cosmic rays in giant water tanks
YOUR GOAL
Master of Professional observatories in Mexico
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.
choko HAWC Gamma-Ray Observatory
Cosmic rays are crashing, sparking blue inside our water tanks!

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

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

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.

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

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.
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.

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

