What creates the Van Allen Bells?

Answer 1

The Van Allen Belts are created by the interaction of the Earth's magnetic field with charged particles from the solar wind and cosmic rays. These charged particles become trapped in the Earth's magnetic field, forming two distinct regions of high-energy radiation, one located between approximately 1,000 to 12,000 kilometers above the Earth and another further out, extending to about 58,000 kilometers. The belts play a crucial role in protecting the Earth from harmful solar radiation and are named after physicist James Van Allen, who discovered them in 1958.