Meanings
plural Van Allen radiation belts
- astronomyEither of two torus-shaped areas of high-energy charged particles which partly surround Earth, trapped by its magnetic field. The areas are characterised by intense radiation. When the belts "overload", particles strike the upper atmosphere and fluoresce, causing the polar aurora.
Synonyms: Van Allen belt
Synonyms & antonyms
nounEither of two torus-shaped areas of high-energy charged particles which partly surround Earth, trapped by its magnetic field. The areas are characterised by intense radiation. When the belts "overload", particles strike the upper atmosphere and fluoresce, causing the polar aurora.
Origin
From James Alfred Van Allen, US physicist.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Finnish Van Allenin säteilyvyöhyke
- Van Allenin säteilyvyöhykeeither of two torus-shaped areas circling Earth
French ceinture de radiations de Van Allen
- ceinture de radiations de Van Alleneither of two torus-shaped areas circling Earth
German Van-Allen-Strahlungsgürtel
- Van-Allen-Strahlungsgürteleither of two torus-shaped areas circling Earth
Hungarian Van Allen sugárzási övezet, Van Allen-öv
- Van Allen sugárzási övezeteither of two torus-shaped areas circling Earth
- Van Allen-öveither of two torus-shaped areas circling Earth
Cite this entry
Van Allen radiation belt. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Van%20Allen%20radiation%20belt
“Van Allen radiation belt.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Van%20Allen%20radiation%20belt. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Van Allen radiation belt,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Van%20Allen%20radiation%20belt.
Source: Van Allen radiation belt on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.