Tag Archives: Explorer 1

The aurora borealis, or northern lights, gleaming brightly over Bear Lake, Alaska, in January 2005. Auroral displays like this are the result of high-energy solar-wind particles interacting with Earth's magnetic field and with particles trapped in the Van Allen radiation belts.
1958: Discovery of Earth’s Van Allen Radiation Belts by Explorer 1

Explorer 1, led by James Van Allen, revealed the existence of Earth's Van Allen Radiation Belts, a major discovery in space science and Earth's magnetic field study

Photographer Galen Rowell is reflected in the mirrored surface of the ceremonial South Pole outside the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Research Station.
1957-1958: The International Geophysical Year – Fostering Collaboration in Earth Sciences

The International Geophysical Year (IGY) was a pivotal period of global scientific cooperation in earth sciences, leading to major discoveries and the Antarctic Treaty