Supercharging the Radiation Belts
- Visualizations by:
- Tom Bridgman
- Written by:
- Kathalina Tran
- Scientific consulting by:
- Shrikanth G. Kanekal
- Produced by:
- Genna Duberstein
- View full credits
One of the most common forms of space weather, a geomagnetic storm describes any event in which Earth’s magnetic environment – called the magnetosphere – is suddenly, temporarily disturbed. Such an event can also lead to change in the radiation belts surrounding Earth, but researchers have seldom been able to observe what happens within the first few minutes immediately following a shock.
But on the day of the March 2015 geomagnetic storm, one of the Van Allen Probes was located at just the right spot within the radiation belts, providing unprecedentedly high-resolution data from a rarely witnessed phenomenon. A paper on these observations was published in the Journal of Geophysical Research on Aug. 15, 2016.
Credits
Please give credit for this item to:
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
Visualizer
- Tom Bridgman (GST) [Lead]
Science writer
- Kathalina Tran (SGT) [Lead]
Scientist
- Shrikanth G. Kanekal (NASA/GSFC) [Lead]
Producer
- Genna Duberstein (ADNET) [Lead]
Missions
This visualization is related to the following missions:Series
This visualization can be found in the following series:Related pages
NASA's Mission Through Dangerous Space Is Going Out in Style
Feb. 11, 2019, 4 p.m.
Read moreB-roll for Van Allen Probe Live Shot. Answers the following suggested questions: You may think space is empty, but there is a lot there that we can’t see. What are space weather and radiation belts?How do you observe the radiation belts?A new radiation belt was discovered several years ago. Tell us about that discovery.Can you tell us about the final mission that the Van Allen probes are going on?How do radiation belts affect space travel, astronauts and the space station?Where can we learn more? NASA’s probe to understand a mysterious region around Earth is coming to an end. After a six and a half year long journey, the Van Allen Probes are going on one last mission. THIS WEEK NASA will move its twin Van Allen Probe satellites into a lower orbit as they begins their swan song — their last year to explore the hazardous radiation belts that surround Earth. In addition to providing non-stop observations of this little-explored region, it will act as a real-time experiment of how elements in the atmosphere can cause instruments to degrade in space.The Van Allen Probes launched in 2012 to explore the twin radiation belts around Earth; their mission had been expected to end in 2018. Unexpectedly resistant to the high-energy radiation coursing through the region, the spacecraft were hardy enough that — with some savvy fuel conservation — the mission could be extended another year. By studying the doughnut-shaped rings of radiation and how well spacecraft can survive there, NASA can better understand how radiation affects astronauts and technology sent into space. Join NASA scientists from 6:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, February 12, to learn about the Van Allen Probes’ final operation.** To schedule an interview, fill out THIS FORM** satellite coordinates HD Satellite Coordinates for G17-K24/Lower: Galaxy 17 Ku-band Xp 24 Slot Lower| 91.0 ° W Longitude | DL 12171.0 MHz | Vertical Polarity | QPSK/DVB-S | FEC 3/4 | SR 13.235 Mbps | DR 18.2954 MHz | HD 720p | Format MPEG2 | Chroma Level 4:2:0 | Audio EmbeddedInterview Location: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.Questions? Contact michelle.z.handleman@nasa.gov or 301-286-0918. Canned interview with NASA scientist Dr. Nicky Fox looking off camera. Soundbites are separated by slates. Canned interview with NASA scientist Dr. David Sibeck. Soundbites are separated by slates. Canned interview with Dr. Nelli Mosavi, project manager for the Van Allen Probes at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Maryland. Soundbites are separated by slates. Van Allen Probes animation For More InformationSee [https://www.nasa.gov/van-allen-probes](https://www.nasa.gov/van-allen-probes)
Prompt Electron Acceleration in the Radiation Belts
Aug. 15, 2016, 10 a.m.
Read moreElectrons gyrating along the lines of Earth s magnetosphere. The gradient drift speed of the electron pulse was high enough, that it propagated completely around Earth and was detected by the spacecraft again as the pulse spread out in the radiation belt. Because the particles have a range of energies, the pulse spread out as it moved around Earth, generating a weaker signal the next time it hit the spacecraft. Opening view of radiation belts and the orbits of the Van Allen probes. A view of the Van Allen Probe orbits and the radiation belts sliced open for a cross-section view. A pulse of electrons is injected into the radiation belts by impact of a passing coronal mass ejection (CME). The electrons gyrate around the magnetic field lines, mirroring at high and low latitudes. Once the pulse of accelerated electrons are injected into the radiation belts, the magnetic gradient drift guides them around Earth where they serendipitiously strike the particle detectors of Van Allen Probe A.
The Electron Beltway
April 30, 2018, 8 a.m.
Read moreNASA s Van Allen Probes reveal how electrons move through the radiation belts that surround Earth. This visualization shows an influx of electrons (red) after a solar storm and their escape from Earth’s radiation belts. The Van Allen Probes detected a pulse of high-energy electrons in Earth’s radiation belts after a coronal mass ejection. Some of the first data from the Van Allen Probes revealed that a third radiation belt occasionally encircles Earth, as well. The Van Allen Probes continue to reveal the complex structures and behaviors of Earth’s radiation belts. For More InformationSee [NASA.gov](https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2017/relativistic-electrons-uncovered-with-nasa-s-van-allen-probes)