2.4K views · 240 reactions |  What’s that blue glow surrounding a reactor? It’s a phenomenon known as Cherenkov Radiation. It happens 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 | Facebook

223K views · 437 reactions | Why do you see a blue glow inside of a reactor? | International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) | Facebook

Pavel Cherenkov, the Soviet scientist, won the 1958 #NobelPrize in Physics for discovering Cherenkov radiation, the blue glow emitted when charged particles travel faster than light in a medium like air or water. Cherenkov telescopes use this phenomenon to study gamma rays and other cosmic events by capturing the light produced when these particles interact with the atmosphere. Did you know that India has a Cherenkov connection? India recently launched the Major Atmospheric Cherenkov Experiment