Radiation Belts and Acceleration (IMAGE)

NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center

Radiation Belts and Acceleration

Caption

Two swaths of particles surrounding Earth called the radiation belts are one of the greatest natural accelerators in the solar system, able to push particles up to 99 percent the speed of light. The Van Allen Probes launched in August 2012, have now discovered mechanisms behind this acceleration.

Credit

NASA/Goddard /Scientific Visualization Studio

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