cosmic ray

See synonyms for cosmic ray on Thesaurus.com
nounPhysics.
  1. a radiation of high penetrating power that originates in outer space and consists partly of high-energy atomic nuclei.

Origin of cosmic ray

1
An Americanism dating back to 1920–25

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use cosmic ray in a sentence

  • It was relux, and he knew it, but he knew what would happen when that cosmic ray hit it.

    Invaders from the Infinite | John Wood Campbell
  • Arcot shot out a cosmic ray himself, and swept the Thessian with it thoroughly.

    Invaders from the Infinite | John Wood Campbell

Scientific definitions for cosmic ray

cosmic ray

  1. A ray of radiation of extraterrestrial origin, consisting of one or more charged particles such as protons, alpha particles, and larger atomic nuclei. Cosmic rays entering the atmosphere collide with atoms, producing secondary radiation, such as pions, muons, electrons, and gamma rays. Cosmic rays (and secondary radiation) can be easily seen in a cloud chamber.

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