Van Allen radiation belt
= Van Allen radiation belt
{wiki=Van_Allen_radiation_belt}
The Van Allen radiation belts are two layers of charged particles held in place by Earth's magnetic field. Named after American physicist James Van Allen, who discovered them in 1958 using data from the first successful U.S. satellite, Explorer 1, these belts comprise high-energy electrons and protons, primarily originating from the solar wind and cosmic rays.