US Explorer 1 satellite and Earth's radiation belts, artwork. Explorer 1 was the first US satellite. It was launched on 31st January 1958. With its on
US Explorer 1 satellite and Earth's radiation belts, artwork. Explorer 1 was the first US satellite. It was launched on 31st January 1958. With its on-board Geiger counter, Explorer 1 discovered very strong areas of cosmic radiation around Earth. These were named Van Allen belts after the astrophysicist James Van Allen (1914-2006), who proposed the use of the Geiger counter. The inner belt (blue) represents a ring of highly energetic protons, originating from cosmic rays and solar wind, that are trapped in Earth's magnetic field. The outer belt (pink) represents a ring of protons and helium ions from solar wind that have much lower energy.
Size: 4998px × 3554px
Photo credit: © NASA/DETLEV VAN RAVENSWAAY/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: 1, 1958, 1st, allen, american, artificial, artwork, astronomical, astronomy, astrophysical, astrophysics, belt, cosmic, counter, earth, explorer, fist, flight, geiger, illustration, james, nasa, orbiting, planet, radiation, satellite, space, spacecraft, spaceflight, usa, van
