Highest energy cosmic ray electrons ever seen amaze scientists

Most energetic cosmic electrons ever observed have been detected by the scientists at High Energy Stereoscopic System (HESS) in Namibia after over a decade of meticulous data collection

The discovery has unlocked new avenues in understanding of the universe.

"Cosmic rays are a century-old mystery," Mathieu de Naurois, deputy director of the HESS collaboration, told Space.com.

After a series of balloon ascents meant to explore ionising radiation that was first detected on an electroscope, cosmic rays were discovered, first reported in 1912 by Austrian physicist Victor Hess.

However, Hess unveiled a natural source of high-energy particles from space after reaching an altitude of 5,300 metres. As of today, those particles are called cosmic rays.

As the finding provides tangible evidence of extreme cosmic processes unleashing colossal amounts of energy, it is exciting.

"Understanding these cosmic rays allows us to unveil big particle accelerators in the universe that are often associated with the most violent phenomena: the explosion of stars; very compact objects with huge gravitational and electromagnetic fields, such as neutron stars and pulsars; cataclysmic mergers; and black holes," said de Naurois.

It is also important to note that detecting these high energy electrons and positrons with energies of several teraelectronvolts, which are higher than any particle accelerators on Earth are able to achieve, has been particularly challenging for many reasons.