Earth ID: 20065

Lightning Makes a Safe Zone in the Earth's Radiation Belts

Animations by Walt Feimer Released on April 27, 2005

Radio waves generated by terrestrial lighting get propagated by electrons along the Earth's magnetic field lines and sweep high-energy electrons away from their path. This opens a 'Safe Zone' in the radiation belts.

Without lightning's cleansing effect producing this protective safe zone in Earth's radiation belts, it would be dangerous for satellites. The camera pulls up through the clouds to a view from space. Radio waves from lightning (white glow) travel along the Earth's magnetic field and intercept particles in the safe zone region of the Van Allen Belts (red spiral). The radio waves deflect particles there, causing them to stream down the magnetic field line (blue) and impact Earth's upper atmosphere. This process occurs again until the safe zone is clear (represented by a dimming of the red spiral).

Radio waves from lightning (white glow) travel along the Earth's magnetic field and intercept particles in the safe zone region of the Van Allen Belts (red spiral). The radio waves deflect particles there, causing them to stream down the magnetic field line (blue) and impact Earth's upper atmosphere.

For More Information

http://www.nasa.gov/vision/universe/solarsystem/image_lightning.html

Animation Credits

Walt Feimer (HTSI): Lead Animator
James Green (NASA/GSFC): Scientist

Please give credit for this item to:
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Conceptual Image Lab

Short URL to share this page:
https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/20065

This item is part of this series:
Lightning and the Safe Zone

Keywords:
SVS >> Lightning
DLESE >> Space science
SVS >> Radiation Belts
NASA Science >> Earth