Night MAGIC . ... Credit Copyright: Robert Wagner ( MPI ), MAGIC Telescope Project Explanation: Is it magic ? ... The MAGIC (Major Atmospheric Gamma Imaging Cherenkov) telescope itself is intended to detect gamma rays - photons with over 100 billion times the energy of visible light. ... The MAGIC camera records in detail the brief flashes of optical light, called Cherenkov light , created by the air shower particles that ultimately correspond to cosmic sources of extreme gamma-rays. ...