Why Apollo Astronauts Saw Flashes With Their Eyes Closed
During Apollo 11, an astronaut saw flashes with his eyes closed, and researchers linked the strange vision to high-energy particles passing through the eye.
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During the Apollo 11 journey to the Moon, astronauts reported seeing brief flashes, streaks, or dots of light even when their eyes were closed and the spacecraft cabin was dim. The effect was later observed on other Apollo missions and became the subject of dedicated experiments. Researchers found strong evidence that high-energy cosmic-ray particles could pass through the eye and produce visual sensations without ordinary light entering the eye. Several mechanisms have been studied, including direct stimulation of the retina and Cherenkov light produced inside the eye. NASA investigations concluded that charged particles crossing the retina could account for at least much of the phenomenon, while later research has continued to examine the exact mechanism.
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