{"id":31961,"date":"2024-11-09T18:59:48","date_gmt":"2024-11-09T13:29:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=31961"},"modified":"2024-11-09T18:59:49","modified_gmt":"2024-11-09T13:29:49","slug":"discovery-of-x-rays","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/09-11-2024\/discovery-of-x-rays","title":{"rendered":"Discovery of X-rays"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Syllabus: GS 3\/Science and Technology <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In News\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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  • 129 years ago on 8 November, X-rays were discovered.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    Discovery of X-rays<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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    • Wilhelm Conrad R\u00f6ntgen <\/strong>discovered X-rays in 1895, noticing that they could produce images of bones by passing through flesh and other soft tissues.\n
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      • Named “X-rays” to denote their unknown nature.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Immediate public interest and intense research began in early 1896.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Properties of X-rays: <\/strong>X-rays have much higher energy<\/strong> and much shorter wavelengths than ultraviolet light<\/strong>, ranging from 0.03 to 3 nanometers, about the size of an atom.\n
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        • Scientists usually refer to X-rays by their energy levels rather than wavelengths.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • High temperatures (millions of degrees Celsius) emit X-rays, as seen in objects like pulsars, supernova remnants, and black hole accretion disks.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Further Scientific Discoveries:<\/strong> J.J. Thomson discovered X-rays ionized gases, leading to the discovery of electrons in 1897.\n
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          • H. Becquerel\u2019s research led to the discovery of radioactivity in March 1896.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

            Applications<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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            • Medical Applications<\/strong>: Physicians started using X-rays in January 1896 to examine bones and organs.\n
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              • \u00a0<\/strong>X-rays create images by shooting rays through the body, where bones absorb more rays and cast shadows on X-ray film, making the bones visible.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              • X-rays in Astronomy: <\/strong>The Sun\u2019s corona, which is hotter than its surface, emits mostly X-rays.\n
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                • Satellites like Japan’s Hinode collect X-ray data from the Sun to study its corona.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                • X-ray telescopes in space (due to Earth\u2019s atmosphere blocking X-rays) use grazing incidence mirrors to focus high-energy X-rays onto detectors.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                • X-ray data from space telescopes provide information about the temperature, composition, and density of celestial objects.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                • X-rays in Planetary Exploration: <\/strong>NASA’s Mars rover, Spirit, used X-rays to detect zinc and nickel in Martian rocks using the Alpha Proton X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS).<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                • X-rays in Earth’s Aurora: <\/strong>Solar storms send energetic particles to Earth, creating geomagnetic storms that result in auroras and X-ray emissions.\n
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                  • These X-rays from auroras are absorbed by Earth\u2019s atmosphere, making them harmless to people on the ground.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                    Source: IE<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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