Fast facts

8IFO UIF LN MPOH DJSDVMBS tunnel was excavated between Lake Geneva and the Jura mountain range, the two ends met up to within 1cm.

&BDI PG UIF UP superconducting filaments of niobium–titanium in the cable produced for the LHC is about 0.007mm thick, about 10 times thinner than a normal human hair. If you added all the filaments together they would stretch to the sun and back six times with enough left over for about 150 trips to the moon.

"MM QSPUPOT BDDFMFSBUFE BU CERN are obtained from standard hydrogen. Although proton beams at the LHC are very intense, only two nanograms of hydrogen are accelerated each day. Therefore, it would take the LHC about a million years to accelerate a gram of hydrogen.

5IF DFOUSBM QBSU PG UIF -)$ is the world’s largest fridge. At a temperature colder than deep outer space, it contains iron, steel and the all important superconducting coils.

5IF QSFTTVSF JO UIF CFBN pipes of the LHC is nearly like the atmosphere of the moon. This is an ultrahigh vacuum.

1SPUPOT BU UIF EFTJHO FOFSHZ in the LHC travel at 0.999999991 times the speed of light. Each proton goes round the 27km ring more than 11 000 times a second.

"U GVMM FOFSHZ FBDI PG UIF UXP proton beams in the LHC have a total energy equivalent to a 400 tonne train travelling at 150km/h. This is enough energy to melt 500kg of copper.

5IF TVO OFWFS TFUT PO UIF A Toroidal LHC Apparatus (ATLAS) collaboration. Scientists working on the experiment come from every continent in the world, except Antarctica.

5IF $.4 NBHOFU TZTUFN contains about 10000 tonnes of iron, which is more iron than in the Eiffel Tower.

5IF EBUB SFDPSEFE CZ UIF big experiments at the LHC is enough to fill around 50000 1TB hard disks every year.

Source: European Council for Nuclear Research (CERN)