a chamber extending along an axis, the chamber having a maximum cross-sectional dimension perpendicular to the axis of 30 cm or less;

a gas sealed inside the chamber, the gas having a composition and pressure sufficient to be ionized by the passage of atmospheric muons through the chamber to form ions or electrons in the chamber;

a cathode disposed in the chamber at a first axial position;

an anode disposed in the chamber at a second axial position displaced from the first axial position, the anode comprising a mesh of wires;

a micropattern gaseous detector arranged along the axis between the cathode and the anode and proximate to the anode and configured to receive the ions or electrons formed in the chamber between the anode and the cathode and generate electrons in response to each ion or electron sufficient to generate a current in one or more of the mesh wires of the anode; and

readout electronics in electrical communication with the anode and configured to detect signals in response to the current generated in the one or more of the mesh wires,

wherein the readout electronics comprises a charge sensitive amplifier connected to the anode, an amplifier/shaper configured to generate a Gaussian pulse and amplify the signal generated in each wire, and a comparator to provide a digital signal based on an amplitude of the Gaussian pulse and a preselected threshold.