Abstract
ASTRONAUTS on Apollo 11, 12, and 13 observed a series of light flashes and streaks when they were in darkness at great distances from the Earth1. Although it is well known that relatively low doses of X-rays impinging on the retina can cause light sensation and can alter the light sensitivity threshold2, the astronauts' descriptions of discrete flashes and streaks do not conform with the homogeneous flood of light which is characteristic of X-ray phosphenes or the crescents and patterns of electrical or pressure phosphenes.
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References
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TOBIAS, C., BUDINGER, T. & LYMAN, J. Radiation-induced Light Flashes observed by Human Subjects in Fast Neutron, X-ray and Positive Pion Beams. Nature 230, 596–598 (1971). https://doi.org/10.1038/230596a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/230596a0
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