Extreme solar flares and a geomagnetic storm hit Earth on May 10-11, 2024 disrupting Earth’s magnetosphere and resulted in various disruptions including certain GPS functionalities. It also provided us with a stunning arrangement of colorful aurorae across the globe. This geomagnetic storm was the most powerful storm on record since 1989.
A unique parting gift from this geomagnetic storm was a new radiation belt circling Earth.
The radiation belts are called Van Allen belts. Named after the discoverer, Dr. James Van Allen, these rings are zones of energetic charged particles and take residence in Earth’s magnetosphere, responding to solar wind and cosmic rays, and contain harmful particles that can interact with Earth’s atmosphere.
Normally, there are two resident Van Allen belts; an inner and outer belt. Both surround Earth but following the 2024 geomagnetic storm, a third Van Allen belt was discovered by NASA’s Colorado Inner Radiation Belt Experiment, CubeSat. This new, temporary radiation ring of charged, high-energy particles now circles the Earth and brings new questions forward for scientists.
Scientists don’t know how long Earth will have the third Van Allen belt, so experts are keeping a close eye on it, particularly with watchful eyes as these radiation belts could present a hazardous radiative environment for spacecraft operating within it, or passing through it.
With the addition of this mysterious third belt, what can we expect?
West Virginia University Physics Professor, Weichao Tu (right) is an expert in Van Allen radiation belts and whose research focuses on modeling the trapped radiation environment in near-Earth space. When asked about the newest belt, she gave valuable insight to the new discovery.
“The Van Allen radiation belts around Earth are truly fascinating,” states Dr. Tu. “This discovery offers an exciting opportunity for scientists, including my team at the Department of Physics and Astronomy at WVU, to investigate how this third belt forms after such intense solar activity, how long it might last, and what implications it could have for space exploration and satellite technology.”
Usually astronauts on the International Space Station don’t pass through a belt as they are under the sphere of concern, but missions that move beyond the belts will pass through a ring of radiation, specifically through the additional ring.
The upcoming NASA Artemis missions will transport astronauts through both inner and outer belts, but now they may need to add on precautions for a third radiation belt in the journey.
When asked about the upcoming missions, like Artemis, Tu says “All missions passing through the radiation belts must be equipped with adequate shielding to protect their sensitive electronics from high radiation levels. The discovery of a third belt introduces increased radiation in areas typically free from it. Depending on the mission’s orbit, additional precautions may be necessary to account for this heightened radiation exposure. Therefore, understanding and predicting the behavior of radiation belts around Earth, including this new third belt, is crucial for the future of space exploration and satellite technology.”
For more information on Van Allen belts and Tu’s research in the WVU Department of Physics and Astronomy and in the WVU Center for Kinetic Plasma Physics, see links below.
https://tuweichao.wixsite.com/home
https://kineticplasma.wvu.edu/
hal/08/07/24