Ring formation between belts. Model showing third radiation ring (red). Recent observations by NASA’s Van Allen Probes mission showed an event in which three radiation zones were observed at extremely high energies, including an unusual medium narrow ring (red) that existed for approximately four weeks. The modeling results, displayed in this illustration, revealed that for particles at these high energies, different physical processes are responsible for the acceleration and loss of electrons in the radiation belts, which explains the formation of the unusual long-lived ring between the belts. The discovery will help protect satellites form the harmful radiation in space, UCLA scientists report. (Image credit: Yuri Shprits, Adam Kellerman, Dmitri Subbotin/UCLA)