Van Allen Belts

When solar material streams strike Earth’s magnetosphere, they can become trapped and held in two donut-shaped belts around the planet called the Van Allen Belts. The belts restrain the particles to travel along Earth’s magnetic field lines, continually bouncing back and forth from pole to pole. This video illustrates changes in the shape and intensity of a cross section of the Van Allen Belts. Credit: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center