Phrase guide

Van Allen radiation belt

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

Either of two torus-shaped areas of high-energy charged particles which partly surround Earth, trapped by its magnetic field. The areas are characterised by intense radiation. When the belts "overload", particles strike the upper atmosphere and fluoresce, causing the polar aurora.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: astronomy, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, physics

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: Van Allen belt

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: radiation belt

History

Etymology

From James Alfred Van Allen, US physicist.

Across languages

Translations

5 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Finnish: Van Allenin säteilyvyöhyke — either of two torus-shaped areas circling Earth
  • French: ceinture de radiations de Van Allen — either of two torus-shaped areas circling Earth
  • German: Van-Allen-Strahlungsgürtel — either of two torus-shaped areas circling Earth
  • Hungarian: Van Allen sugárzási övezet — either of two torus-shaped areas circling Earth
  • Hungarian: Van Allen-öv — either of two torus-shaped areas circling Earth