Science For Sleep | We Found the Fastest Thing in the Universe

Now on Spotify 🎧 Listen here: https://open.spotify.com/show/033FAXP3qkVJt1VjSLKI60 For more than a century, scientists have wondered where the Milky Way’s most energetic particles come from. In this episode, we found the fastest thing in the universe becomes a calm journey into cosmic rays, gamma rays, and the natural accelerators hidden throughout our galaxy. Using the LHAASO observatory, astronomers are tracing ultra-high-energy gamma rays back to mysterious sources known as PeVatrons — objects capable of accelerating particles to quadrillions of electron volts. These particles move so close to the speed of light that the difference becomes almost impossible to imagine. The leading candidates include supernova remnants, pulsars, massive star-forming regions, and extreme systems like the Crab Nebula and Cygnus X-3. Recent detections suggest the Milky Way may contain far more powerful particle accelerators than scientists once believed. The galaxy, it turns out, is filled with invisible engines pushing matter to the edge of physics. Let this gentle exploration of the fastest particles in the universe and the PeVatrons that create them settle softly into your thoughts. Breathe slowly. Imagine tiny particles racing across the galaxy at nearly the speed of light, born in distant explosions and magnetic storms. And rest in the stillness of a universe where even its fastest travelers move silently through the dark. Sources: LHAASO Collaboration — Ultrahigh-energy photons up to 1.4 PeV from 12 Galactic sources — https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-03498-z First LHAASO Catalog Officially Published — https://english.ihep.cas.cn/nw/han/y24/202402/t20240229_657801.html Tibet ASγ Collaboration — Potential PeVatron Supernova Remnant G106.3+2.7 — https://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-020-01294-9 Cygnus X-3: First Variable PeV Gamma-Ray Source — https://english.ihep.cas.cn/nw/han/y26/202607/t20260730_1183461.html LHAASO — Ultra-High-Energy Gamma-Ray Astronomy — https://english.ihep.cas.cn/lhaaso/se/uhe/202110/t20211026_286768.html