The infinitesimal, nearly massless and neutrally charged subatomic particles known as neutrinos ignore forces of the universe such as gravity and electromagnetic forces.  Streams of neutrinos travel through the universe at light speed, barreling unimpeded through planets, stars and galaxies.  Astronomers find that peculiar behavior tantalizing, as neutrinos can carry information from far parts of the universe.

The challenge, however, is capturing the little suckers.  Enter the Ice Cube project, which uses Antarctica’s vast ice sheet as a sort of neutrino trap.  Researchers at Ice Cube have just released their first neutrino astronomical map of the Milky Way Galaxy.  Francis Halzen is a physicist with the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and the spokesperson for the Ice Cube project.  Francis Halzen joins us now by phone. 

Image by PayPal.me/FelixMittermeier from Pixabay

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