South West

A Thin Hard Rain from Outer Space - the Story of Cosmic Rays

Dr Roger Moses - Bristol University

Cosmic radiation is still in some ways as mysterious as when it was discovered, nearly a century ago.

Some individual particles have enough energy to boil a kettle and take about a month to cross the Universe. The radiation dose they give is a major hazard to space travellers and a minor risk to both crew and electronics in high-flying aircraft. Notwithstanding the above, it is probable that it is essential to the development of life, being the one of the causes of spontaneous mutations in living cells.

This talk, supported by a demonstration, will cover the history of our knowledge of this fascinating topic, and bring it up to date with the latest space and ground observations.

The lecture will be given at 19.30 on Thursday 6 March 2008 in Elwes Building, University of GloucestershirePark Campus, The Park, Cheltenham, GL50 2QF. Travel directions are available at http://www.glos.ac.uk/directions/travelpa.cfm

Coffee/tea  will be available from 19.00. This is a joint meeting with the Gloucestershire Branch of The Institution of Engineering and Technology

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