What are the Van Allen belts?

The Van Allen radiation belts were discovered in 1958. They are two doughnut shaped rings of highly charged particles that surround the Earth The outer ring of high-energy electrons and the inner ring of high-energy electrons and energetic positive ions can comprise a danger to satellites and space crafts.

The radiation belts can cause minor problems in the functioning of certain instruments or even complete failure of critical satellites. The nature of radiation in space needs to be better understood so as to design equipment which is well protected for space use. Lately a third radiation belt has also been spotted around the Earth.

Yuri Shprits, a research geophysicist with the UCLA Department of Earth and Space Sciences said that in the past, scientists thought that all the electrons in the radiation belts around the Earth obeyed the same physics. However they are finding now that radiation belts consist of different populations that are driven by very different physical processes.

He added that their study shows that completely different populations of particles exist in space that change on different timescales, are driven by different physics and show very different spatial structures. This new found knowledge should enable researchers to come up with new science projects to keep astronauts and their equipment safe.