Cosmic rays aren't rays

At least it is not a ray in the sense that I understand rays.  I would define a ray as a high velocity particle with no mass.  A cosmic ray is a high velocity particle with mass.  But not always with mass.  Capiche?  Or no?

A cosmic ray may not have mass if you include neutrinos.  These are particles with no mass.  But the totality of all cosmic rays will indeed have mass.  If that isn't confusing enough...

A ray is like the ray of the sun.  It is electromagnetic energy.   But so does cosmic rays in a sense.  But what makes it different is the mass.  Light is said to be composed of "photons".  Photons have no mass.  Gamma rays, X-ray, UV light, and visible light all have photons, which have no mass.

Photons are a different thing than neutrinos.  Neutrinos are harder to stop than photons.  But both have no mass.

Electrons have mass, but are they rays?  Electrons convey electricity, and can be made to go pretty fast.  But they are still particles.  It is often referred to as an "electron beam".  A beam is like a ray, but it is still a particle, that is if electrons are what's in the beam.  Can there be such a thing as a particle beam?  It is commonly referred to as such.  Your TVs use cathode ray tubes, which utilize electron beams in such a way that it can be used to view images on a screen.  Perhaps cosmic rays can be said to be high energy particle beams from outer space.  But don't try to watch TV with cosmic rays.  It might be hazardous to your health.

This may all seem rather pedantic, but the proper use of words can be made to clarify what is misunderstood.  In terms of cosmic rays, if the term "cosmic particles" were used instead, it may help people to understand that these are not rays.  It is not like an X-ray or gamma ray.

However, cosmic particles can have an electric charge, because they are mostly ions.  Cosmic particles are often atomic nuclei, which means they have a positive charge.  Because they move at nearly light speed, they can cause damage to the nuclei with which they come into contact.   "Atom smashers" may create the same kind of high energy collisions that occur naturally in the atmosphere.  Human beings can only emulate nature after all.

The big atom smashers are used to break down protons into its constituent parts.  It may also be a component of cosmic rays when it happens naturally in exploding stars, aka supernovas.  Supernovas are said to be a source of "cosmic rays".

Cosmic particles ( or rays ) cause carbon to become radioactive.  The particles strike the atmosphere, thus creating the carbon 14.  Carbon 14 decays into nitrogen, which is stable.  The mechanism of the creation of carbon 14 is not clear to me, but it is interesting that carbon 12 combined with an deuteron ( hydrogen plus a neutron) can create carbon 14.  Is carbon 14 a result of fusion then?  Nothing I see in the stuff I have read indicates such.  But is merely a speculation.   But it is generally believed that cosmic particles cause carbon 14 to be formed.

So what do we call them?  I will call them cosmic particle beams.  What do you think?