wikipedia
English
Etymology
From James Alfred Van Allen, US physicist.
Noun
van|Van Allen belt
- Either of two torus-shaped areas of high-energy charged particles which partly surround Earth, trapped by its magnetic field. The areas are characterised by intense radiation. When the belts "overload", particles strike the upper atmosphere and fluoresce, causing the polar aurora.
- Any of similar areas around another planet.
Synonyms
Van Allen radiation belt
Translations
Van Allen belt
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Finnish: Van Allenin vyö, Van Allenin vyöhyke
mid
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Category:Astronomy
Category:English eponyms
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