by Demand:
Dangerous cosmic rays will pass near Earth tonight, causing harm to those who leave personal devices on near them.
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As the April 8, 2024, total solar eclipse approached, Snopes’ inbox began to fill with familiar claims that cosmic rays would “tonight” pass close to Earth, causing those who leave personal electronic devices switched on near them in danger. . The text of these “copypasta” messages was almost identical in all cases:
Tonight from 12:30 to 3:30 am don’t forget to turn off your cell phone, tablet, computer, etc. and put it away from your body. Singapore TV announced this news. Please tell your relatives and friends. Tonight, from 12:30 to 3:30, radiation will be very high on our planet. Cosmic rays will get very close to the earth. So please turn off your cell phone. Do not leave the equipment close to your body, as it can cause serious damage. If you don’t believe you can check Google and NASA BBC News. Send this message to all the people who matter to you. Everyone is at risk, take care of yourself.
This viral message, which we last fact-checked in 2017, is a hoax that has been circulating online since at least 2014. It has since been debunked several times, by outlets such as Agence France-Presse in 2021, which noted that it was widely shared. in Thailand. In 2019, Vishvas News also addressed this claim when it was circulating in India.
Where Do Cosmic Rays Come From?
Cosmic rays have two sources. One type of cosmic ray originates from supernovae, which are massive stars that “die,” collapse under their own gravity, and turn into black holes or neutron stars. As they go through this process, supernovae shoot charged particles – protons and electrons – through space. These particles travel so fast, they can easily penetrate through matter. The second source of cosmic rays is the sun. Solar flares and other solar events can also emit charged particles that reach Earth.
The good news is that the Earth’s magnetic field protects us from these cosmic rays, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA):
The Earth is protected by a magnetic field that causes the charged particles to bounce from pole to pole, creating two giant donut-shaped zones of energetic electrons and protons. The magnetosphere deflects cosmic rays and protects us from solar flares. Sometimes, cosmic radiation reaches us, but without causing any harm, just like other low levels of radiation to which we are regularly exposed.
This video from the TV show Nova explains it well:
How Exposed Are We?
The average person is exposed to 3.5 millisieverts of radiation per year, according to the IAEA, of which only 10% is caused by cosmic rays. A much larger percentage of that radiation comes from medical exams like X-rays, mammograms, or CT scans, the agency says. There are other natural sources, including radon, that the soil emits in certain areas.
Our level of exposure to cosmic rays varies, as the higher up in space we find ourselves, the more exposed we are. For example, we are more exposed to cosmic rays on high-altitude flights that pass over the poles. This is a particular concern for airplane crews on long-haul flights, a risk for which the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued a warning to airline employees.
People who travel into space are at even greater risk from harmful radiation. NASA also warns its employees about the potential cancer risk from that radiation, among other things:
Radiation exposure incurred during space exploration is one of the greatest threats to an astronaut’s health. The risks associated with them include carcinogenesis, tissue degenerative effects, central nervous system effects, and acute radiation syndromes. The radiation environment outside the Earth’s protective atmosphere consists of energetic protons and heavy nuclei that pose a danger to living organisms. The damage caused by energetic nuclei has been shown to cause distinct biological damage compared to radiation on Earth, leaving large uncertainties in the prediction of health risks and the evaluation of the effectiveness of potential radiation countermeasures.
But as long as we stay on Earth, and thanks to our planet’s magnetic field, cosmic rays don’t usually pose a significant threat to human health, according to the US Centers for Disease Control.
Sources:
Cosmic Radiation: Why We Shouldn’t Worry. 12 April 2021, https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/news/cosmic-radiation-why-we-should-not-be-worried.
‘Fact Check: Post Asking People To Turn Off Phones Because Of Cosmic Rays Is Fake’. Vishvas news26 June 2019, https://www.vishvasnews.com/english/society/fact-check-post-asking-people-to-switch-off-phone-due-to-cosmic-rays-is-fake/.
eolas@eso.org. ‘Missing Link Found: Supernova Rising from Black Holes or Neutron Stars’. Www.Eso.Org, https://www.eso.org/public/news/eso2401/. Accessed 8 April 2024.
Kasprac, Alex. ‘Fact Check: Will Dangerous Cosmic Rays Pass Near Earth “Tonight”?’ Snopes24 May 2017, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/dangerous-cosmic-gamma-rays/ .
‘Old Hoax Is Spreading On Thai Social Media Warning People To Turn Off Cell Phones Due To Harmful Cosmic Rays Passing Earth’. Check Facts12 March 2021, https://factcheck.afp.com/old-hoax-circulates-thai-social-media-warning-people-turn-mobile-phones-due-harmful-cosmic-rays.
Space Radiation – NASA. 16 March 2023, https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/esdmd/hhp/space-radiation/.
US EPA, OAR. Radon Health Risk. 14 Aug. 2014, https://www.epa.gov/radon/health-risk-radon.
What Aircrew Should Know About Occupational Exposure to Ionizing Radiation. Federal Aviation Agency, October 2003, https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/tr/pdf/ADA423589.pdf.
What is Solar Activity? – NASA. https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/what-solar-activity/. Accessed 8 April 2024.
