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 | |
Lizenzart: | Lizenzpflichtig |
Credit: | Science Photo Library / DETLEV VAN RAVENSWAAY / NASA |
Bildgröße: | 4998 px × 3554 px |
Modell-Rechte: | nicht erforderlich |
Eigentums-Rechte: | nicht erforderlich |
Restrictions: | - |