NASA's Van Allen Probes mission discovers a third new radiation belt around Earth, which was unknown to scientists
NASA's Van Allen Probes mission discovered a third new radiation belt around Earth, which was unknown to scientists. This opens up the possibility of the existence of unexpected structures and processes within the hazardous regions of space.
Previous observations of Earth's Van Allen belts have for a long time noted the existence of two distinct regions of radiation surrounding our planet. Particle detection instruments on the Van Allen Probes that were launched Aug. 30, last year, revealed the existence of a new, transient, third radiation belt.
"The fantastic new capabilities and advances in technology in the Van Allen Probes have allowed scientists to see in unprecedented detail how the radiation belts are populated with charged particles and will provide insight on what causes them to change, and how these processes affect the upper reaches of Earth's atmosphere," said John Grunsfeld, NASA's associate administrator for science in Washington.
The new discovery will help scientists understand how the dynamic and variable nature of the radiation belts respond to the Earth's solar system. Scientists were able to study this new belt for four weeks before a powerful interplanetary shock wave from the sun obliterated it
"This is the first time we have had such high-resolution instruments look at time, space and energy together in the outer belt," said Daniel Baker, lead author of the study and REPT instrument lead at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) at the University of Colorado in Boulder. "Previous observations of the outer radiation belt only resolved it as a single blurry element. When we turned REPT on just two days after launch, a powerful electron acceleration event was already in progress, and we clearly saw the new belt and new slot between it and the outer belt."
The findings were published February 28 in the journal Science.
