4. CERN’s Large Hadron Collider – Fastest Moving Particles
While not a vehicle, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN propels subatomic particles like protons at speeds just shy of light: 99.9999991% the speed of light, or about 670 million mph (1.08 billion km/h).
Built in a 17-mile underground tunnel near Geneva, the LHC is the world’s largest and most powerful particle accelerator. It recreates the conditions of the early universe by smashing particles together at enormous speeds to discover fundamental building blocks of matter.
The experiments have already led to the discovery of the Higgs boson, a crucial piece in our understanding of physics. At such velocities, even the smallest particles have immense energy, helping physicists unlock the mysteries of space, time, and mass.
Though these aren’t conventional “things” like cars or rockets, the particle beams created by humans inside the LHC are among the fastest-moving objects in the known universe.
