Image linked to itself; Image description: A cartoon of the Earth's Van Allen belt

    Figure: A cartoon and explication of the Earth's Van Allen belts

    Image 1 Caption: A very, very crude cross section diagram of the inner magnetosphere of the Earth showing the Van Allen belts (see also Earth's magnetosphere).

    Further explication:

    1. Some charged particles from the solar wind do get trapped in reservoirs in the magnetosphere. These reservoirs are called the Van Allen belts. They are donut-shaped or toroidal and there are 3 of them (PF-99): the inner 3rd belt was discovered circa 2000. The charged particles in the Van Allen belts may have other causes besides the solar wind.

    2. Note, since the image is a cross section diagram, you have to envisage the magnetic field lines and Van Allen radiation belts as having approximate cylindrical symmetry around the Earth's axis.

    3. Keywords: bar magnet, bow shock, charged particles, dipole magnetic field, Earth, Earth's axis, Earth's magnetic field, Earth's polar regions, helix, magnetic field, magnetic field lines, magnetic force, magnetic poles (magnetic north pole, magnetic south pole), magnetosphere, north magnetic pole, perpendicular, solar wind, south magnetic pole, Van Allen radiation belts, etc.

    Credit and/or file tracking information follows to the divider line:

    Images:
    1. Credit/Permission: © David Jeffery, 2003 / Own work.
      Image link: Itself.
    Local file: local link: earth_magnetic_field.html.html.
    File: Earth ial_11 file: earth_016_vanallen.html.