Space scientists have detected an extremely rare ultra-high-energy particle believed to have come from beyond the Milky Way. The particle was spotted by a cosmic ray observatory in Utah’s West Desert known as the Telescope Array and has been nicknamed the ‘Amaterasu’ particle after the sun goddess in Japanese mythology. The Telescope Array, which began operating in 2008, has observed more than 30 ultra-high-energy cosmic rays, but none as powerful as the Amaterasu particle. On May 27, 2021, this particle struck the atmosphere above Utah, resulting in secondary particles raining down to the ground and being picked up by detectors.