
Full Text:
When cosmic rays collide with the Earth's atmosphere, they decay into muons -- charged particles that are slightly heavier than an electron. Physicists have designed a pocket-sized cosmic ray muon detector to track these ghostly particles. The detector can be made with common electrical parts, and when turned on, it lights up and counts each time a muon passes through.
The relatively simple device costs just $100 to build, making it the most affordable muon detector available today.Image credit: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
