Recently, scientists have uncovered an exciting and mysterious cosmic event that occurred in the skies above the state of Utah in 2017. The high-energy cosmic ray, observed by a telescope on the ground, was observed as travelling at near the speed of light.
What makes this event so intriguing and unique is that it appears to have originated outside of our Milky Way galaxy, making it only the second known cosmic ray of this kind to have been identified from beyond the Milky Way.
The cosmic ray was observed as travelling in a highly energetic and straight trajectory, which is consistent with the behaviour of these kinds of cosmic rays, known as ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays, or UHECRs. Scientists believe that UHECRs could hold the key to discovering more about the Universe outside our own galaxy, which is very difficult to observe for long distances due to the sheer vastness of the Universe.
What makes the Utah cosmic ray so remarkable is that it has been tracked to an area between two distant clusters of galaxies. This suggests that the cosmic ray was likely born somewhere between the two clusters and then travelled through intergalactic space until it reached Earth.
Given its origin and trajectory, a number of theories have arisen as to what could have created the cosmic ray. Suggested possibilities range from the collision of two extremely dense objects to the release of energy by a supermassive black hole in a distant quasar-like region. Whatever the origin, scientists are sure of one thing – the cosmic ray is unique and provides a never-before-seen snapshot of our Universe.
The discovery of the Utah cosmic ray provides a tantalizing glimpse into the mysterious Universe beyond our own Milky Way. As we continue to observe the sky and study the distant stars and galaxies, it may not be long until we have a much better understanding of what lies beyond our galaxy.