ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Cosmic Ray System

Okay kiddo, let me explain what cosmic rays are and how they work.

Imagine that space is full of invisible particles called cosmic rays. They're not like the particles we see around us, like atoms or molecules. Instead, they're tiny pieces of energy that come from space.

These cosmic rays are always flying around, even though we can't see them. They come from all over the universe, even from other galaxies far, far away. When cosmic rays hit the Earth's atmosphere, they interact with the gases and create big explosions of energy.

Some of the cosmic rays make it past the atmosphere and reach the surface of the Earth. But don't worry, they're not dangerous to us because they mostly get absorbed by our planet's magnetic field.

Scientists study cosmic rays to learn about the universe and how it works. By studying the energy that cosmic rays give off, we can learn about things like black holes, supernovas, and other mysterious phenomena in space.

So even though we can't see them, cosmic rays play a really important role in helping us understand the universe around us.