Radiation Belts around Earth (IMAGE)

NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center

Radiation Belts around Earth

Caption

In Sept. 2012, NASA's Van Allen Probes observed the radiation belts around Earth had settled into a new configuration, separating into three belts instead of two. Scientists think the unusual physics of ultra-fast electrons within the belt helped cause the unusual shape.

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NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center

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