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From: james@reality1.UUCP (james)
Newsgroups: sci.physics
Subject: Re: Cherenkov radiation
Message-ID: <58@reality1.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 26-Oct-86 23:00:21 EST
Article-I.D.: reality1.58
Posted: Sun Oct 26 23:00:21 1986
Date-Received: Mon, 27-Oct-86 20:08:36 EST
References: <224@sri-arpa.ARPA> <Paul> <Schauble> <Schauble@MIT-MULTICS.ARPA> <writes:> <422@husc6.HARVARD.EDU>
Reply-To: james@reality1.UUCP (james)
Organization: Reality Computer Systems, Austin TX
Lines: 15

In article <422@husc6.HARVARD.EDU> news@husc6.HARVARD.EDU (USENET News System) writes:
>If the gamma ray energy is
>high enough (above 10**15 eV or so, if I remember correctly), the
>ejected particles will be going faster than the speed of light in air
>and will radiate a detectable pulse of light by Cherenkov radiation.
>("Detectable" means with a 10-meter diameter collecting dish; you'll
>never see anything with your eye.)  

I seem to recall that on one of the Apollo missions that astronauts reported
seeing strange flashes of light.  This was a long time ago, and I wasn't even
in high school at the time, so I may just be the victim of a modern "old
wive's tale".  Does anyone else remember anything about this and/or the
cause?
-- 
James R. Van Artsdalen    ...!ut-ngp!utastro!osi3b2!james    "Live Free or Die"