A new Android app transforms any smartphone into a cosmic ray detector with almost the same capabilities as those in the multimillion-dollar observatories.

Cosmic rays that crash into the Earth's atmosphere generate showers of secondary particles called muons.

When these muons strike a semiconductor that powers a smartphone camera, an electric charge is released, creating a signature in pixels that can be stored and analyzed.

Like Us on Facebook

Justin Vandenbroucke, an assistant professor of physics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a researcher at the Wisconsin Ice Cube Particle Astrophysicists Center (WIPAC), developed the app called DECO at the suggestion of a classmate. DECO stands for Distributed Electronic Cosmic-Ray Observatory.

He explains it's easy to turn any smartphone into a DECO. Simply download the app and cover the phone's camera with duct tape.

Afterwards, place the phone screen up at any location. The phone can even be placed inside drawers or tables since muons penetrate matter like X-rays.

After it's left running for a while, the observation is recorded as an event if enough pixels light up on analysis. Time, location, and observations are logged at a central database.

While it's unlikely for the cosmic ray detector to replace the technology in observatories, Vandenbroucke says it's primarily aimed at educating the masses about cosmic rays.

Cosmic rays are high-energy radiation particles that originate from outside our Solar System. These particles travel through space at a speed nearing that of light.

While these particles only reach the surface of the Earth rarely, they contribute a fraction of the annual radiation exposure of human beings.

Understanding cosmic rays will also be significant to space travel since high-speed cosmic rays can cause various ailments. It's even been posited that cosmic rays have roles in lightning and cloud formation.

TagsCosmic Rays, App, Justin Vandenbroucke