I just watched the documentary on Netflix about covering up one of the Chernobyl reactor cores. There was a lot of video shot inside the building that had thousands of dancing white dots on the screen caused by the radiation. Why would supercharged shooting particles effect the camera and not the human eye?
In: Physics
Because high energy particles are hitting the film/tape/camera sensor and exposing the film/exciting the sensor like light would, except they have much more energy. This can absolutely happen to people as well. Astronauts in space, outside the protection of the atmosphere, frequently report seeing flashes of light, even with their eyes closed, as high-energy cosmic rays hit their retinas or optic nerves.
Fun fact: It DOES effect the eye. There are several reports of astronauts seeing flashes of light with their eyes closed. This has been attributed to cosmic rays that were completely shielded impacting on the retina.
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