Detecting Cosmic Rays on planes

Detecting Cosmic Rays on planes

dsc03493.jpgOn my flight today, I was chatting with a fellow who worked on CO2 lasers– since I happen to have my USB Radiation detector I figured this would be a good opportunity to detect the Cosmic rays coming in to the plane with interested parties. It worked (photo here). The detector picked up 80, 120 and 240 Muon Count Rate (cpm). I haven’t dumped all the data and looked it up yet- seems harmless of course, but it was really neat to detect stuff while high above the clouds at 20,000 feet. When I get time, I’ll map the data with GPS, Sat photos and altitude- kinda like war driving for radiation.

What will the next generation of Make: look like? We’re inviting you to shape the future by investing in Make:. By becoming an investor, you help decide what’s next. The future of Make: is in your hands. Learn More.

current: @adafruit - previous: MAKE, popular science, hackaday, engadget, fallon, braincraft ... howtoons, 2600...

View more articles by Phillip Torrone
Discuss this article with the rest of the community on our Discord server!

ADVERTISEMENT

Escape to an island of imagination + innovation as Maker Faire Bay Area returns for its 16th iteration!

Prices Increase in....

Days
Hours
Minutes
Seconds
FEEDBACK