Earth’s Radiation Belts Dr. James A. Van Allen discovered Earth’s radiation belts in 1957. He showed that the region above the earth, called the ionosphere, contained several bands, which are made up of highly charged particles. The belts are called Van Allen radiation belts after the discoverer who was an American physicist. The radiation belts are part of a complex dynamo system that we are just beginning to understand. The belts are in a broad, doughnut-shaped region surrounding the earth at heights between 400 and 64,000 km, which is between 250 and 40,000 miles.  The radiation belts are centered on the planet’s magnetic axis and are always in perfect alignment, maintaining their position relative to each other. This means that the magnetic axis, runs through the center of the magnetic field, through the center of the radiation belts, and through the planet. A dynamo system of this type is set up around all the planets that have a fully developed magnetosphere. However, not all dynamo systems are fully developed. Our Solar System, Chapter 2 Magnetosphere, Chapter 3 Radiation Belts, Chapter 4 Magnetic Fields, Chapter 5 Earth’s Dynamo, Chapter 6 Dynamo Systems, Chapter 7 The Sun as a Dynamo, Chapter 8 Auroras Chapter 9 Space Weather Chapter 10 References |