Cosmic rays at TRIUMF

Cosmic-ray trails are picked up in a layer of supersaturated alcohol, with TRIUMF researcher Des Ramsay explaining how it works. This demonstration is set up in a darkened alcove at the TRIUMF reception center in Vancouver, B.C.

[@NuclearCookout]

Quite fascinating.

[@elevadon]

i saw this kind of thing, but with alchohol and radon gas.
you could clearly see 10 cm long streaks about 1 cm wide apearing due to alfa rays. it was pretty cool^^

[@AlanBoyle]

Sorry... even in the original video, the light streaks were pretty hard to see unless you looked closely at just the right angle, and the quality was even worse once the video was uploaded. You can catch maybe one or two streaks as the vapor rolls past ... but I'll refund your money for this one. ;-) In the next two comments I'll list a couple of Web pages with cosmic-ray cloud chamber close-ups that give you a better idea: