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From: ethan@utastro.UUCP (Ethan Vishniac)
Newsgroups: sci.physics
Subject: Re: Cherenkov radiation
Message-ID: <1364@utastro.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 27-Oct-86 10:09:52 EST
Article-I.D.: utastro.1364
Posted: Mon Oct 27 10:09:52 1986
Date-Received: Mon, 27-Oct-86 22:26:16 EST
References: <224@sri-arpa.ARPA> <Paul> <Schauble> <Schauble@MIT-MULTICS.ARPA> <58@reality1.UUCP>
Organization: U. Texas, Astronomy, Austin, TX
Lines: 22
Summary: cosmic rays

In article <58@reality1.UUCP>, james@reality1.UUCP (james) writes:
> 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.

I remember hearing that this was due to the direct stimulation of the optic
nerve by cosmic rays, (as opposed to seeing secondary radiation) and that it 
was a persistent phenomena (i.e. not just on one mission).  Is there a 
biologist here who can comment on the plausibility of this?
-- 
"More Astronomy                Ethan Vishniac
 Less Sodomy"                  {charm,ut-sally,ut-ngp,noao}!utastro!ethan
  - from a poster seen         ethan@astro.AS.UTEXAS.EDU
    at an airport              Department of Astronomy
                               University of Texas