Van Allen radiation belt
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English
Etymology
From James Alfred Van Allen, US physicist.
Noun
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
either of two torus-shaped areas circling Earth
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