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Scientists have recently confirmed that Earth was struck by a mysterious and highly energetic cosmic ray particle. This tiny single particle carried an astonishing energy of over 240 exa-electronvolts, equivalent to the kinetic energy of a high-speed baseball or the impact of dropping a lead brick on your toes from waist height. Named Amaterasu, after the Japanese Sun goddess, this particle is the second most energetic cosmic ray particle recorded to have struck our planet. The most energetic remains the Oh-My-God particle, detected in 1991, which boasted an energy of 320 exa-electron volts.

But where did this particle come from? How did scientists detect Amaterasu in the first place? Finally, and most importantly, why is detecting this particle such a significant breakthrough in physics and astronomy?

The 78th episode of the Sunday Discovery Series answers all these questions in detail.

Created By: Rishabh Nakra
Narrates By: Brian Pederson
Animations: Sankalp Dash