Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. Neutrinos , along with things like electrons and quarks, are fundamental pieces of matter according to physicists' Standard Model . But neutrinos are hard to detect. Readily produced in nuclear reactions and particle collisions , they can easily pass completely through planet Earth without once interacting with any other particle.
Brighter colors represent a larger flux of neutrinos.
In a tantalizing recent announcement , an international collaboration of Super-K researchers has now presented evidence that the ghostly neutrinos undergo quantum mechanical oscillations, changing their particle identities and quantum properties over time. A measurable mass for neutrinos would also make them candidates for the mysterious dark matter known to affect the motions of stars and galaxies, while proof of neutrino oscillations would be a step toward resolving the decades old Solar Neutrino Problem . Even skeptical scientists will be waiting impatiently to see if these results are independently confirmed. Specific rights apply .