Fakulti Sains Bumi

Department of Geoscience

EGT 2062: MINERALOGY

ASSIGNMENT

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN X-RAYS AND COSMIC RAYS

LECTURER: DR RONIZA BINTI ISMAIL

STUDENT’S NAME: NOR ALIA SYAHIRA BINTI SALEH
MATRIC NUMBER: E15A0143
Cosmic Ray

Cosmic rays are energetic, subatomic particles that arrive from outside the Earth's
atmosphere. The lowest energy cosmic rays are produced by ordinary stars like the Sun. For
example, during a solar flare many particles ejected from the Sun. When these solar particles
interact with the Earth's magnetic field, they tend to spiral into the Earth's magnetic poles
where they excite the gas in the atmosphere causing it to glow. This is observed as Aurora,
or the Northern/Southern Lights.

Figure shows Aurora phenomenon

Cosmic rays are immensely high-energy radiation, mainly originating outside the
Solar System. They may produce showers of secondary particles that penetrate and impact
the Earth's atmosphere and sometimes even reach the surface. They also composed primarily
of high-energy protons and atomic nuclei. The intensity of cosmic radiation increases with
altitude, indicating that it comes from outer space. It changes with latitude, indicating that it
consists at least partly of charged particles which are affected by the Earth's magnetic field.

X-rays are form of electromagnetic radiation, as are radio waves, infrared radiation,
visible light, ultraviolet radiation and microwaves.

Figure shows that X-rays is one of form of the electromagnetic spectrum

 The differences between X-rays and Cosmic rays are X-rays are high energy
photons while Cosmic rays are particles. Next is that X-rays are photons of short wavelength
while Cosmic rays are energetic subatomic particles such as protons and electrons. X-rays
are form of electromagnetic radiation, or light but Cosmic rays are high-energy particles.

X-rays also have very high frequency hence requires high voltage to produce them
while Cosmic rays are immensely high energy radiation, mainly originating outside the Solar
System. Next, X-rays can penetrate most of the material with ease and hence are used mostly
to scan object without touching them while Cosmic rays produce showers of secondary
particles that penetrate and impact the Earth's atmosphere and sometimes can reach the
surface of the Earth.

X-rays affect photographic plate and hence are used to capture the human skeleton
defects. It is used in treatment of the cancer for cancerous cells management while Cosmic
rays are used to study the solar wind, solar flares, solar coronal mass ejections, Earth’s
magnetosphere and Auroras. X-rays travel in straight line and do not carry electric charge
with them while Cosmic rays come from beyond the earth (outer space), and hit the top of
the atmosphere. They interact with atoms in the air and produce other energetic particles that
shower down on the Earth. X-rays are invisible to eye since they lie in the band between UV
and gamma rays for which we are blind but result of Cosmic rays can be seen such as Aurora
phenomenon which we can see with our naked eyes but have very small fields of view and
are only active for a few percent of the time. Last but not least, X-rays cannot be smelt or
heard or either felt. The only way to observe them is by the use of the photographic film
while Cosmic rays can be seen using telescope.