Earth is surrounded by radiation belts that protect its atmosphere during geomagnetic storms. These radiation belts are composed of high energy particles that are held in place due to the magnetic field of planets. The Van Allen radiation belt is a torus shaped region composed of high energy electrons. It was discovered about five decades ago.
The Van Allen belt, made up of two radiation belts: the outer radiation belt and the inner radiation belt, sometimes a third external belt is formed depending upon the intensity of solar storms. Most of the particles were thought to come from solar winds and cosmic rays. The inner belt stretches from 640 to 9,600km above the surface of the Earth while the outer belt is ranged from 13,500 to 58,000km. The empty space between these two belts is known as the Slot Region which is mostly devoid of particles except when high solar activity is taking place.
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Earth is surrounded by radiation belts that protect its atmosphere during geomagnetic storms. These radiation belts are composed of high energy particles that are held in place due to the magnetic field of planets. The Van Allen radiation belt is a torus shaped region composed of high energy electrons. It was discovered about five decades ago.
The Van Allen belt, made up of two radiation belts: the outer radiation belt and the inner radiation belt, sometimes a third external belt is formed depending upon the intensity of solar storms. Most of the particles were thought to come from solar winds and cosmic rays. The inner belt stretches from 640 to 9,600km above the surface of the Earth while the outer belt is ranged from 13,500 to 58,000km. The empty space between these two belts is known as the Slot Region which is mostly devoid of particles except when high solar activity is taking place.