每日一翻：Track Cosmic Rays With Smartphone App

Thousands of energetic particles called cosmic rays fly right through our bodies every second without us ever noticing. Now scientists want your help to track this radiation from space in a massive citizen science project—by using your smartphone.

每一秒都有无数被叫做宇宙射线的能量粒子穿过我们的身体而不被我们察觉。现在，在一个庞大的公民科学项目中，科学家想让你们用自己的智能手机帮助追踪这些来自宇宙的射线。

Physicists don’t know for sure where cosmic rays come from, but they suspect supernovae and powerful black holes are involved. Although we’re bombarded with the particles, the very highest energy cosmic rays are rare. Studying them has therefore been difficult. But it turns out that smartphone cameras are actually good at detecting them.

物理学家不太确切的知道宇宙射线来自哪里，但他们怀疑来自超新星或者是强大的黑洞。虽然我们被粒子狂轰乱炸，但是最高能的宇宙射线是很罕见的。研究它们实际上很难。但是事实证明，智能手机的摄像头实际上很擅长探测高能宇宙射线。

When these especially energetic rays hit Earth’s atmosphere they create a shower of other charged particles. These particles hit a camera’s sensor, resulting in one bright pixel against a dark background. If enough phones in the same area see particles, scientists can recreate the cosmic ray’s path through space.

当这些特殊能量的射线轰击大气层的时候会产生大量其他的带电粒子。这些粒子冲击相机的传感器，会在一个黑色背景下留下一个明亮的白色像素。如果在相同的地方有足够的手机看到了粒子，科学家就可以重现宇宙射线穿过太空的路径。

You can take part in the project through an app called CRAYFIS (for Cosmic Rays Found in Smartphones). [Daniel Whiteson et al, Observing Ultra-High Energy Cosmic Rays with Smartphones]

你可以通过一个名叫CRAYFIS的应用程序来参与到这个项目中来。

CRAYFIS only operates when a phone is plugged into a power source and not otherwise being used, so it will not drain your battery. Imagine: between Candy Crush and Facebook sessions, your phone can help unravel the mysteries of the universe.

CRAYFIS 仅仅在手机插入电源充电的时候运行，其他时候不会使用，所以它不会浪费你电池的电量。想象一下：在玩糖果传奇和Facebook之间，你的手机还能够揭开宇宙的神秘面纱。

—Clara Moskowitz