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Earth's radio signals may be protecting it from space radiation
The Earth's atmosphere bears precious little resemblance to what it looked like at the start of the Industrial Revolution. As radio technology has advanced and spread, the signals that transmitters produce -- specifically the Very Low Frequency (VLF) variety -- have changed the way that the upper atmosphere and the Van Allen Radiation Belts interact, according to a study recently published in the journal Space Science Reviews. In effect, these radio waves may be enveloping the globe like an electromagnetic comforter, protecting it from satellite-frying space radiation.
NASA's probes shed light on the Van Allen radiation belt
NASA scientists are done analyzing the data sent back by its twin Van Allen probes, and its results have shattered our understanding of the radiation belt. For decades, scientists believed the belt located around 600 miles from the planet's surface is comprised of a small inner donut and a larger outer one divided by an empty space (see the illustration below the fold). It turns out the shape of the belt changes based on the type of electron you're observing.
