Citizen Scientist
BUILD A CLOUD CHAMBER
CATCH THE GHOSTLY TRACKS OF COSMIC RAYS USING DRY ICE, ALCOHOL, AND A BASKETBALL DISPLAY CASE.
HOLD OUT YOUR PALM FACE UP. IN THE time it takes you to read this sentence, two high-energy subatomic particles will likely have pierced clean through your hand.
We live in a radioactive environment and there’s no escape. At sea level, the flux is roughly one particle per palm size per second, which means San Franciscans sustain an astonishing 20 million hits through their bodies each day. Denver is higher in elevation, so its protective blanket of air overhead is thinner. As a result, Mile Highers get hit at roughly twice that rate.
These particles make their presence felt by ionization — that is, ...
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