Van allen belt

Last September, just days after launching twin spacecraft deep into Earth's magnetosphere, space physicists discovered a third region of trapped high-energy particles in the Van Allen radiation belts.

Illustration showing Van Allen radiation belts

Earth Torus. Torodial Field. Electromagnetic Field.

The science of the Van Allen Belts.

Scientist. He was an astrophysicist who was well known for his work with the United States space program during its early years. Van Allen helped with the design and manufacture of some of the insturments used on early space probes, including Explorer I (the first US satellite). He discovered the bands of radiation...

Earth’s most recent magnetic pole reversal, called the Laschamp event, has been dated to 42,000 years ago and coincides with extreme weather and the extinction of large mammals

The doughnut-shaped Van Allen belts are shown cut away to expose the Earth, which is at their center. They are part of a large area of radiation called the magnetosphere.

Let’s face it, we all love a GIF. Despite being around for 30 years now, these snappy, moving images are more popular than ever in the social media world. So could they be the GIF that keeps on giving when it comes to social media communications?

NASA's twin Radiation Belt Storm Probes will explore the radiation-filled Van Allen Belts around Earth like never before. See how the mission works in this SPACE.com infographic.