This is a still image from a data-based visualization showing the Van Allen Belts pulsing from solar particles over ten days. Purple and white areas represent the radiation belts.
This is a still image from a data-based visualization showing the Van Allen Belts pulsing from solar particles over ten days. Purple and white areas represent the radiation belts. The gap that appears between the inner and outer belts shows a cleared-out safe zone for satellites. The red ring represents the orbit of the retired IMAGE (Imager for Magnetopause to Aurora Global Exploration) satellite, which dipped into the safe zone every few days. Credit: NASA/Tom Bridgman