The world's first neutrino observation in a hydrogen bubble chamber.
It was found Nov. 13, 1970, in this photograph from the Zero Gradient Synchrotron's
12-foot bubble chamber. The invisible neutrino strikes a proton where three
particle tracks originate (lower right). The neutrino turns into a mu-meson, the long center track (extending up and left). The short track is the proton.
The third track (extending down and left) is a pi-meson created by the
Click on image for full size
Argonne National Laboratory
The neutrino is an extremely light particle. (You definitely couldn't weigh one on your bathroom scale!) It also has no electric charge.
Fusion reactions in the Sun
produce neutrinos. By detecting these neutrinos, scientists can learn about the inside of the Sun.
Billions of neutrinos from the Sun pass through the Earth without interacting with anything (they may be passing through your hands right now!). Large detectors are actually able to find some neutrinos.
Click here for a brief history of
Most of the neutrinos that reach Earth from space come from the Sun (called solar neutrinos). Neutrinos are also released when cosmic gamma rays hit the Earth's atmosphere. Other sources of neutrinos are exploding stars
relic neutrinos (from the
and nuclear power plants.
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