Alex McColgan

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From Earth, the night sky appears ethereal, peaceful.

It's so far removed from human civilization.

You'd be forgiven for thinking we're immune to anything going on up there.

But that couldn't be further from the truth.

We are under attack.

Cosmic rays are bombarding us from every direction.

Tiny particles that collide with our planet's atmosphere, setting off a chain reaction of ionisation that can render our satellites and other electronic machinery useless.

But where do they come from?

For hundreds of years, astrophysicists have searched in vain to find the origin of these elusive attackers with little success.

Even the type of source has evaded their searches.

But now, thanks to a whole new field of research, we're starting to find answers.

Not only do we now know what to look for, but they are proving more powerful than we ever imagined.

What in the cosmos is possibly capable of producing a quadrillion electronvolts of energy?

I'm Alex McColgan, and you're watching Astrum.