Van Allen radiation belts

A form of Van Allen radiation belt — Either 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.

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Meanings

noun
  1. pluralplural of Van Allen radiation belt
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APA

Van Allen radiation belts. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Van%20Allen%20radiation%20belts

MLA

“Van Allen radiation belts.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Van%20Allen%20radiation%20belts. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Van Allen radiation belts,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Van%20Allen%20radiation%20belts.

Source: Van Allen radiation belts on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.