What’s that blue glow surrounding a reactor? It’s a phenomenon known as Cherenkov Radiation when electrically charged particles, such as protons or electrons, travel faster than light in a clear medium like water. | U.S. Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy

3.3K views · 64 reactions | The Cherenkov effect, also known as Cherenkov radiation, is the emission of light when a charged particle travels through a dielectric medium at a speed greater than the speed of light in that medium. This phenomenon is analogous to a sonic boom, where a shockwave of sound is produced when an object surpasses the speed of sound. Follow @thatisnewton ,All credits to respective creators/owners. DM for credits/removal | Thatis Newton | Facebook

23K views · 588 reactions | #OnThisDay in 1904, Pavel Cherenkov was born. He's the man who first discovered what this blue glow was surrounding a reactor core. Today it's called Cherenkov radiation — a phenomenon that happens when electrically charged particles, such as protons or electrons, travel faster than light in a clear medium like water. #nuclear #cleanenergy | U.S. Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy | Facebook