One of the 1,600 Detectors at the Pierre Auger Observatory (IMAGE)

CNRS

One of the 1,600 Detectors at the Pierre Auger Observatory

Caption

The detectors are tanks filled with 12 tonnes of pure water, which are used to detect particles from air showers, cascades of secondary particles produced when cosmic rays enter Earth's atmosphere. As they travel through the tanks of water, the secondary particles produce a flash of light caused by the Cherenkov effect. The Pierre Auger Observatory in Argentina is the world's largest cosmic ray detector. It is named after the French physicist who was the first to observe air showers, in 1938.

Credit

Céline ANAYA-GAUTIER/CNRS Photothèque

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