The invisible shield of the Earth

An invisible shield at 11,500km altitude is protecting the Earth from dangerous electronic particles, especially when intense solar storms occur.

Scientists at the University of Colorado Boulder, USA, discovered that an invisible shield is protecting the Earth from "killer electrons" , which move close to the speed of light, which could harm astronauts and satellites in intense solar storms.

"The shield forms a barrier to particle movement detected in the Van Allen radiation belt," Science Daily quoted Professor Daniel Baker, director of the CU-Boulder Laboratory of Atmosphere and Space. Physics (LASP), said.

An invisible shield is protecting the Earth from harmful electronic particles.(Photo: Andy Kale)

The massive Van Allen radiation ring surrounding the Earth was first discovered in 1958 by James Van Allen and his colleagues at the University of Iowa, USA. The belt consists of two donut shaped circles above the left. The soil, filled with electrons and protons, has high energy.

The inner ring has an elevation of 650km to 9,650km from the Earth's surface, the outer rim is larger at an altitude of 13,500km to 58,000km. They are held in place by the Earth's magnetic field, which can expand and contract over time due to the influence of the solar wind and cosmic rays.

In 2012, observations from the Van Allen expedition vessel showed that the third belt may occasionally appear, depending on "cosmic weather".

The latest discovery revolves around an "extremely sharp" boundary at the inner edge of the outer perimeter, at an elevation of about 11,500km. It can prevent super-fast moving electrons going deeper into the Earth's atmosphere. "The phenomenon is like electrons flying into an invisible glass wall in space. This is an extremely confusing phenomenon , " Daniel Baker said.