Back to Van Allen radiation belt

Back to talk:Van Allen radiation belt


On Ring Current

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WHERE SHOULD DISCUSSION OF EARTH'S RING CURRENT TAKE PLACE?


Firstly, the term "ring current" isn's specific just to Earth alone; it's a generic term, Jupiter for example also has a ring current.




On Van Allen Belt sizes

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What are the size of these belts? '

The article currently disagrees with my books and everything I find online, all of which disagrees with each other. Probably the best answer is, "Nobody knows" but here are some estimates.

NOTE : A sudden increase in solar wind pressure can cause the radiation belts to change shape. In such an instance, particles on the sunward side of the planet will be carried inward (toward the planet), while particles on the far side of the planet will be carried further from the planet. This can give the radiation belts somewhat of a tear-drop shape. After such an incident, the belts tend to return to a more spherical shape, although for a time the particles will rebound to a position farther from the Earth than where they had initially been.


On naming

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Should this be Van Allen Radiation Belt, Van Allen Radiation Belts, Van Allen radiation belt, Van Allen radiation belts, or something else?