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from the tek-tek-tek-tek-tek-tek-tek-tek dept.
Unlike electromagnetic radiation, which consists of massless and accelerated charged particles, galactic cosmic rays (CR) are composed mostly of atomic nuclei and solitary electrons, objects that have mass. Cosmic rays originate via a wide range of processes and sources including supernovae, galactic nuclei, and gamma ray bursts. Researchers have speculated for decades on the possible effects of galactic cosmic rays on the immediate environs of Earth's atmosphere, but until recently, a causal relationship between climate and cosmic rays has been difficult to establish.
A research collaborative has published a paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that mathematically establishes such a causal link between CR and year-to-year changes in global temperature, but has found no causal relationship between the CR and the warming trend of the 20th century.
http://phys.org/news/2015-03-cosmic-fluctuations-global-temperatures-doesnt.html
[Abstract]: http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2015/02/23/1420291112
(Score: 3, Informative) by Immerman on Thursday March 12 2015, @12:26AM
Umm, no, you've got your radiation all mixed up.
Gamma rays are extremely high-frequency electromagnetic radiation - some single photons have been detected with a mass-energy comparable to an entire iron atom!
Cosmic Rays are extremely high-speed charged particles of various types (mostly atomic nuclei) originating from outside the solar system
Alpha radiation is high-speed Helium-2 nuclei
Beta radiation is high-speed electrons and positrons
Neutron radiation is high-speed neutrons
(Score: 2) by Immerman on Friday March 13 2015, @01:25AM
Oops, I lied - alpha radiation is Helium-4, not 2. somehow "helium with 2 neutrons" got turned around when I as typing.