Introduction
A project starting in 2015, the “ScanPyramids” organization had the wonderful idea of using cosmic rays to scan the Great Pyramids in Egypt to unlock all of their secrets. They are, in the modern day, using cutting-edge technology that uses rays of radiation from space, to get a clear picture of the inside of the pyramids. A mysterious space inside King Khufu’s pyramid was discovered in 2017, and we only roughly know the size and shape of the space. These non-destructive advanced technologies allowed for the discovery of this chamber slowly getting better and better over the years, with scientists finally finding pictures of the chamber on March 2, 2023.
Methods of Detection
Infrared Thermography is one of the most promising methods used to understand these structures, looking from the outside at what happens inside the pyramids, or any other ancient structure. While the idea seems simple, it requires very precise operators, and special instruments to successfully pull off. The scans reveal cold spots allowing for the detection of caverns or chambers in the pyramid. This technique is based on a physical law: all materials emit energy radiation in the function of their temperature. They emit infrared waves measured by cameras equipped with sensors. “Under the same sun, the interior of a white car will be cooler than the interior of a black car”, explains Jean-Claude Barré. “Similarly, in an identical sun, granite and limestone will not return the same temperature.” Cameras then generate a digital image corresponding to different colors with the temperatures of the building. Other uses for this technology include scanning houses to find cold spots in poorly insulated buildings.
Muon detection is another way of finding chambers or hallways in pyramids. Muons are formed in the upper layer of Earth’s atmosphere, and were created from the collisions between cosmic rays and the nuclei of atoms in the atmosphere, these muons fall to the ground at the speed of light. Muons are elementary particles, and can very easily pass through any structure such as large rocks, and stones, allowing for their use in scanning the pyramid, detectors are placed inside the pyramid, and the accumulation of the muons over time allows for the detection of void areas inside of the pyramids. There are two downsides to this method, as highly sensitive detectors need to be created to the point that one muon will not go untracked; and the other is that this method could take weeks or even months to gather enough data to have a clear picture of the potential rooms hidden away inside of the pyramids.
Khufu's Pyramid
Khufu’s pyramid is the highest of all the pyramids, assumed to be over 146 meters tall before it was stripped down by carriers in the Middle Ages. Khufu’s pyramid is the only pyramid that has three different chambers, an underground chamber that is abandoned, the queen’s chamber, whose function remains controversial, and the king’s chamber with an empty sarcophagus, the only chamber open to visitors today.
March 2, 2023
On March 2, 2023, the team found a secret chamber that is thirty feet long hidden behind the main entrance of the pyramid. Scientists speculate that this chamber could lead to the real burial site of Khufu.
Mostafa Waziri, the head of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, said it was most likely to be a chamber constructed to decrease structural strain on the pyramid. He said that "We are not sure yet what is underneath. Are there more corridors? Will there be chambers? It must have a function, but we don't know it yet and we can't predict." The research will continue on and hope to find ancient treasures and bring tourism back to Egypt.
Conclusion
The pyramids have many discoveries to behold, and this one leads to only more mysteries. This discovery gives the project a push forward, allows for the continuation of PyramidScans, and gives way for discoveries to be made. The research will continue and hope to draw more attention to the pyramids, and their ancient treasures to be found.
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