William e. Kahier, III, age i3, of Utica, N.Y., for his question:

What causes cosmic rays?

Cosmic rays were discovered 50 years ago and most of their secrets were revealed in the 1930s. While studying cosmic rays, scientists uncovered the existence of more atomic particles. They also proved an Einstein theory. For on a small scale, cosmic rays convert matter into energy and energy into matter.

We are bombarded day and night by these miniature bursts of radioactivity. Those that strike the earth are secondary cosmic rays. They are mesons and assorted atomic particles With enough Speed energy to penetrate our deepest mines. 'I'hese flying fragments are the debris from atoms that have been smashed in the air, miles above the earth.

This atom splitting is done by primary cosmic rays, which are charged atomic particles hurtling in from space. A few are shot from the sun but most of these cosmic bui.3.ets are hurled from distant stars and galaxies. Out in space, there are vast magnetic fields where primary rays may be trapped, slowly gathering speed, for millions of years.

Given at last one of them hits the earth, it crashes through the atmosphere until it collides head on with a gas molecule. Its speed is forceful. Enough to split or smash an atom, causing a shower of flying debris. A primary cosmic ray, crashing m3ies above our heads, causes secondary cosmic rays to strike the ground.

The primary particles are atomic nuclei, or atoms stripped of their electrons. Most of them are protons which are the nuclei of hydrogen, the smallest of atoms. Some are the nuclei of helium and still larger atoms. Mary of these space bullets

Reach us from cosmic upheavals that happened in the remote past. In September of this year, the photograph of one of these upheavals was in the News. It showed the heart of a galaxy in titanic explosion. Galaxy M 82 is ten million light years or 60 billion billion miles away. Its explosion began one and a half million years ago. Yet its charged particles, rushing out at 20 million miles an hour, may someday strike the earth as primary cosmic rays.

M 82 was photographed with the 200 inch telescope at Mt. Palomar. Its hydrogen gas is exploding and all other elements were screened out of the picture. Experts figure that there is enough material in the explosion to make five million stars.  The gaseous hydrogen, however, is so thin that existing stars in M 82 are not likely to be affected.