Glossary entry

Spanish term or phrase:

rayos incógnita

English translation:

unknown rays / type of radiation

Added to glossary by Andrew Darling
Nov 22, 2022 20:41
1 yr ago
26 viewers *
Spanish term

rayos incógnita

Spanish to English Science Science (general) X-rays
Dear colleagues,

What would be the most accurate translation for "rayos incógnita" in the following sentence:

Los llamó rayos X, los rayos incógnita.

The text before that sentence describes how the physicist Wilhelm Röntgen discovered X-rays through an experiment.
According to my research, there are, of course, different names for X-rays, such as Röntgen rays or radiographs, but I'm not sure as to how "rayos incógnita" should be translated.

TIA.
Votes to reclassify question as PRO/non-PRO:

Non-PRO (1): philgoddard

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Proposed translations

+5
9 mins
Selected

unknown rays / type of radiation

"Röntgen referred to the radiation as "X", to indicate that it was an unknown type of radiation."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X-ray#Discovery_by_Röntgen
Note from asker:
Yes, that’s it: unknown rays was the term I was looking for. I couldn’t see the wood for the trees! (It’s been a long day) Thank you!
Peer comment(s):

agree philgoddard
6 mins
Thanks, Phil.
agree patinba
31 mins
Thanks, Pat.
agree Andrew Bramhall
44 mins
Thanks, Andrew.
agree Thomas Walker
2 hrs
Thanks, Tom
agree James A. Walsh
16 hrs
Thanks, James.
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Great help, thanks!"
5 hrs

mysterious rays / enigmatic rays

Just a couple of suggestions. Good luck ¡¡
Note from asker:
Thank you for your answer. I would split the points if that were an option because I think "mysterious rays" is another good option for the sentence.
Something went wrong...
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