Take Two translates the day’s headlines for Southern California, making sense of the news and cultural events that affect our lives. Produced by Southern California Public Radio and broadcast from October 2012 – June 2021. Hosted by A Martinez.
The Van Allen Belts are a pair of rings, circling the earth, made up of charged particles. Named for astronomer James Van Allen, these cosmic doughnuts were discovered early in the space age - back in the late 1950's, when Van Allen and his team identified two distinct zones of radiation.
This video illustrates changes in the Van Allen belts shape and intensity:
The belts have been the focus of ongoing study ever since, and recently scientists were stunned to find a third belt. Then, within a month of its detection, it disappeared. We’ll speak with science writer Veronique Greenwood.