))
Van Allen Belts
Archived series ("HTTP Redirect" status)
Replaced by: StarDate Premium Audio
When?
This feed was archived on May 06, 2016 11:35 (
Why? HTTP Redirect status. The feed permanently redirected to another series.
What now? If you were subscribed to this series when it was replaced, you will now be subscribed to the replacement series. This series will no longer be checked for updates. If you believe this to be in error, please check if the publisher's feed link below is valid and contact support to request the feed be restored or if you have any other concerns about this.
Manage episode 126688529 series 181130
Content provided by McDonald Observatory. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by McDonald Observatory or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://player.fm/legal.
The first discovery of the Space Age was two intense radiation belts that encircle Earth. They’re called the Van Allen belts in honor of James Van Allen, the scientist who led the team that found them. And scientists are still learning about them today.
The belts contain electrically charged particles that are trapped by Earth’s magnetic field. Some of the particles come from the solar wind, while others are born from interactions between cosmic rays and Earth’s upper atmosphere.
The inner belt stretches from a few hundred to a few thousand miles above the planet. The outer belt extends far beyond that. And most of the time, there’s a gap of a few thousand miles between them.
But a pair of probes — also named for Van Allen — has found that the belts are quite dynamic — they expand, contract, and vibrate in response to storms on the Sun. At times, the gap between them can fill in, creating a single super-belt. The inner belt can expand to within just a couple of hundred miles of the surface. And the mixture of particles the belts contain can change.
Understanding the belts is important for space flight. Most satellites generally stay below the belts. But any craft that spends much time in the belts can receive a hefty jolt of radiation — enough to fry unprotected systems. So spacecraft operators need to know what to expect from the belts so they can shield their hardware — from one of the many hazards of space flight.
Script by Damond Benningfield
28 episodes
Share
