Browse: Keyword: Radiation Belts

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Earths Radiation Belts Tremble Under Impact of Solar Storm

Abstract:: Under the wave of energetic particles from the Halloween 2003 solar storm events, the Earths radiation belts underwent significant changes in structure. This visualization is constructed using daily-averaged particle flux data from the SAMPEX satellite installed in a simple dipole model for the Earths magnetic field. The toroidal structure of the belts corresponds to regions with electron fluxes in excess of 100 electrons-s-cm^2-steradian with energies of 2-6 MeV. The color-scale on the cross section is violet for low flux and white for high flux. The translucent grey arcs represent the fields lines of the Earths dipole field. The 3-dimensional structure was built from the SAMPEX measurement by propagating the particle flux values along field lines of a simple magnetic dipole.

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Earths Radiation Belts with Safe Zone Orbit

Abstract:: Spacecraft orbiting in the Safe Zone, between two and three Earth radii, can be subjected to high levels of harmful radiation as the radiation belts fluctuate in response to space weather events.

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Abstract:: The Earth's radiation belts (violet & white) change considerably due to a number of influences, ranging from a changing solar wind to the lightning on the Earth. Here we see a range of variation in the electron flux in early December 2003. White indicates higher electron flux than violet. The gray curves represent the lines of the Earth's magnetic field. These radiation belts are constructed on a per-orbit basis with data from SAMPEX.

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Abstract:: In this visualization, we see the interaction of the radiation belts (violet-white), the plasmapause (green surface) and magnetopause (grey surface).