Francis Halzen has an unusual job. This scientist studies itsy bitsy, teeny tiny objects zipping through the universe. Theyâ??re called neutrinos.
His job should be easy because neutrinos are all around us, all the time. They pass from the depths of outer space to the depths of your sock drawer â?? and then just keep going. And donâ??t even think about trying to count these super-tiny particles. The neutrinos flying around our universe outnumber all of the people, animals, plants, satellites, planets, stars, galaxies, black holes and asteroids combined.
Theyâ??re also fast, traveling at almost the speed of light. In the time it took you to read the previous paragraph, more than a trillion neutrinos zoomed through you.
They always travel in straight lines. Some fly from your eyes to your ears, others from your feet to your head. They fly from the left, from the right and from everywhere in between. Although you canâ??t see them, theyâ??re also flying through everything you can see.
So you would think Halzenâ??s job at the University of Wisconsin-Madison should be a snap. All he has to do is catch a few of the gazillions passing through his university every day.