Earth typically has 2 Van Allen belts. They are 2 donut-shaped belts of charged particles, encircling Earth. But scientists have just realized Earth now has a 3rd, temporary Van Allen belt, caused by May’s solar storm. When were the Van Allen belts first discovered? How long have we known that Earth could have a temporary 3rd belt, in addition to the 2 stable ones? What ARE the Van Allen belts, anyway? EarthSky’s Deborah Byrd and heliophysicist C. Alex Young of Goddard Spaceflight Center ...
