What are the Van Allen radiation belts?
Zones of energetic charged particles around Earth
Types of celestial bodies
A theory of quantum mechanics
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Answer
The Van Allen radiation belts are zones of energetic charged particles, mainly protons and electrons, that surround the Earth. The belts are named after James Van Allen, who discovered them in 1958. The inner belt is located between 650 and 1,000 km (400 and 620 mi) above the Earth's surface, while the outer belt is located between 1,000 and 60,000 km (620 and 37,000 mi).
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