Van Allen belt

noun

Van Al·​len belt van-ˈa-lən- 

: a belt of intense radiation in the magnetosphere composed of energetic charged particles trapped by the earth's magnetic field

also : a similar belt surrounding another planet

Examples of Van Allen belt in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The huge amounts of radiation in the Van Allen belts can pose major risks for the host of satellites that pass through or orbit within these swaths of space. —IEEE Spectrum, 26 Feb. 2014

During the Polaris Dawn mission, Isaacman piloted the capsule through the intense radiation of the Van Allen belt in low Earth orbit, before leading a surreal spacewalk, backlit by a glowing blue globe, and then navigating the Dragon’s fiery atmospheric reentry. —Kevin Holden Platt, Forbes, 23 Oct. 2024

SpaceX has said the findings could help with planning missions to the moon and eventually Mars, which would require astronauts to fly through the inner and outer Van Allen belts. —Denise Chow, NBC News, 15 Sep. 2024

Polaris Dawn reaches the radiation belts The Van Allen belts trap concentrations of high-energy particles that come from the sun and interact with Earth’s atmosphere, creating two dangerous bands of radiation, according to NASA. —Jackie Wattles, CNN, 14 Sep. 2024

The crew traveled through the Van Allen belts on their way to the furthest point in their journey, and, so far, the tech aboard the capsule — and the astronauts — seem to have withstood that radiation. —Ellen Ioanes, Vox, 12 Sep. 2024

The Van Allen belts pose one of the largest hazards to spacefarers venturing deep into the cosmos. —Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 10 Sep. 2024

Starfish Prime created a new artificial belt of radiation in low-Earth orbit and also increased the intensity of the existing Van Allen belts. —Joshua Keating, Vox, 12 Apr. 2022

The satellite carried out an experiment to take measurements of the Van Allen belts and relay information to Earth in real time. —Lorenzino Estrada, The Arizona Republic, 7 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

after James A. van allen, credited with discovery of the belt

First Known Use

1958, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for Van Allen belt

• celt
• dealt
• dwelt
• felt
• knelt
• melt
• pelt
• smelt
• spelt
• veldt
• welt
• heartfelt

Kids Definition

Van Allen belt

noun

Van Al·​len belt va-ˌnal-ən- 

və-

: a belt of high-energy charged particles that surrounds the earth in the magnetosphere

Etymology

named for James A. Van Allen born 1914 American physicist