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| | Van Allen radiation belts |
 | | Van Allen radiation belts, two belts (sometimes considered as a single belt of varying intensity) of radiation outside the earth's atmosphere, extending from c.400 to c.40,000 mi (c.650–c.65,000 km) above the earth. |
 | | The belts were named for James A. Van Allen, the American astrophysicist who first predicted the belts and then was first to interpret the findings of the Explorer satellite. |
 | | The charged particles of which the belts are composed circulate along the earth's magnetic lines of force extending from the area above the equator to the N Pole, to the S Pole, and circles back to the equator. |
| www.factmonster.com /ce6/sci/A0850404.html (306 words) |
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