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radiation belt

American

noun

Physics.

Van Allen belt.

radiation belt British

noun

a region in the magnetosphere of a planet in which charged particles are trapped by the planet's magnetic field, an example being the earth's Van Allen belts

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of radiation belt

First recorded in 1955–60

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The mission made significant discoveries, including the first data that show the existence of a transient third radiation belt, which can form during times of intense solar activity, Nasa said.

From BBC • Mar. 10, 2026

"In 2019, Earth experienced one of these events, which caused an immense amount of radiation belt electron acceleration," said SwRI's Dr. Sarah Vines, a co-author of the paper.

From Science Daily • Feb. 7, 2026

Researchers have spied the first radiation belt outside the Solar System.

From Science Magazine • May 17, 2023

Those particles are channeled into Earth's radiation belt.

From Salon • May 17, 2023

It has a weaker magnetic field and radiation belt than Jupiter and a more spectacular set of circumplanetary rings.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023