New Radiation Belt Found Around Earth
NASA has just discovered a protective radiation field around the earth the Van Allen radiation belts. It’s named after the twin Van Allen space probes than made the find. in 1958.
NASA says there is a new radiation belt formed September 2 and stayed for only four weeks. They say this discovery shows how much is still unknown about outer space. Zones of magnetically trapped charged particles were first discovered in 1958 but now, something that science thought they understood is something that is mostly misunderstood.
The belts consist of two layers, and inner and outer. The inner is more stable and can remain the same over the course of years to decades. The outer layer could change in the course of hours or days because it is influenced by solar wind and radiation from the sun.
Still a lot more studies have to be made to figure out if this is common occurrence or a one time thing.
More From B98.5
