Gamma ray

What is a Gamma Ray?

A gamma ray is a type of energy that travels like light. It is a kind of electromagnetic radiation. Gamma rays come from very powerful events, like when tiny parts inside atoms, called atomic nuclei, change and give off energy.

Gamma rays can come from nature, like special stars in space. They can also be made by people in places like nuclear reactors.

Who Discovered Gamma Rays?

A smart scientist named Paul Villard found gamma rays in the year 1900. He was studying materials like radium. Later, another scientist named Ernest Rutherford named them “gamma rays.” He saw that they could go through things more easily than other kinds of radiation.

Gamma rays are very powerful, so people use special shields, like thick lead or concrete, to stay safe from them.