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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.

Van Allen Probe B is not expected to re-enter the Earth's atmosphere before 2030.

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

Scientist James A. Van Allen stated in a January 1986 article in Scientific American, “Most national goals in space are better realized by robot spacecraft.”

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

When the magnetic field is working, these rays are safely herded away from the Earth’s surface and into two zones in near space called the Van Allen belts.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson

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