Earth radiation belts (IMAGE)

NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center

Earth radiation belts

Caption

The Gannon storm created two extra radiation belts, sandwiched between the two permanent Van Allen Belts. One of the new belts, shown in purple, included a population of protons, giving it a unique composition that hadn’t been seen before. The discovery of the new belts is particularly important for protecting spacecraft launching into geostationary orbits, since they travel through the Van Allen Belts several times before reaching their final orbit.

Credit

NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center/Kristen Perrin

Usage Restrictions

No restrictions.

License

Public Domain

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