NASA'S Fermi Proves Supernova Remnants Produce Cosmic Rays
WASHINGTON -- A new study using observations from NASA's Fermi
Gamma-ray Space Telescope reveals the first clear-cut evidence
the expanding debris of exploded stars produces some of the
fastest-moving matter in the universe. This discovery is a major
step toward understanding the origin of cosmic rays, one of
Fermi's primary mission goals. "Scientists have been trying to
find the sources of high-energy cosmic rays since their
discovery a century ago," said Elizabeth Hays, a member of the
research team and Fermi deputy project scientist at NASA's
Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. "Now we have
conclusive proof supernova remnants, long the prime suspects,
really do accelerate cosmic rays to incredible speeds." Cosmic
rays are subatomic particles that move through space at almost
the speed of light. About 90 percent of them are protons, with
the remainder consisting of electrons and atomic nuclei. In
their journey across the galaxy, the electr