Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Showing results for Van Allen. Search instead for ethan allen.

Van Allen

American  
[van al-uhn] / væn ˈæl ən /

noun

  1. James Alfred, 1914–2006, U.S. physicist and space scientist.


Van Allen British  
/ væn ˈælən /

noun

  1. James Alfred. 1914–2006, US physicist, noted for his use of satellites to investigate cosmic radiation in the upper atmosphere

"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

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.

See Examples For:

The Van Allen Probe A, which launched in 2012, is expected mostly to burn up as it travels through the atmosphere, though some components may survive.

From BBC Mar. 10, 2026

The research focused on two bands of energetic particles in near earth space, referred to as the Radiation Belts, or the Van Allen Belts.

From Science Daily Mar. 21, 2024

As Van Allen stated, science fiction writers nurtured grandiose plans for human space travel.

From Washington Post Dec. 1, 2022

He also made the first radio map of the Milky Way’s center, and co-discovered regions of seething radiation around Jupiter analogous to Earth’s Van Allen belts.

From Scientific American Sep. 6, 2022

Explorer I was launched with a scientific unit that discovered the magnetic radiation belts around the Earth, later known as the Van Allen belts.

From "Women in Space" by Karen Bush Gibson

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Join 12,000,000 vocabulary learners

Start learning new words today on VocabTrainer.
You'll remember them forever.

Start training