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earanhart t1_j6vn1mz wrote

Reply to comment by Luenkel in Ask Anything Wednesday - Physics, Astronomy, Earth and Planetary Science by AutoModerator

I thought that was "watching photons slow down". It's actually the beta radiation doing it? How cool.

Thank you.

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mfb- t1_j6w03ul wrote

Beta radiation is electrons. They are moving through the water faster than light can move through it. That leads to the emission of Cherenkov radiation, which is mostly blue in most cases (including water).

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