Van Allen radiation belt
English edit
Etymology edit
From James Alfred Van Allen, US physicist.
Noun edit
Van Allen radiation belt (plural Van Allen radiation belts)
- (astronomy, physics) 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.
- Synonym: Van Allen belt
- Hypernym: radiation belt
Translations edit
either of two torus-shaped areas circling Earth
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