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If Earth\\u2019s radiation belts were as strong as those of Jupiter, we might never be able to leave our home planet. An astronaut flying through Jupiter\\u2019s belts could receive a fatal dose of radiation in just a few hours. And since it took Apollo astronauts longer than that to transit Earth\\u2019s belts, they couldn\\u2019t have lived through a trip to the Moon and back.

Jupiter is the largest and heaviest planet in the solar system. So perhaps it\\u2019s not surprising that it also has the strongest radiation belts. They\\u2019re produced by charged particles trapped in Jupiter\\u2019s magnetic field, which is also quite strong.

Some of the particles come from the solar wind \\u2014 a steady flow of material from the Sun. But most of them come from Jupiter\\u2019s moon Io. It\\u2019s covered by hundreds of volcanoes. They blast sulfur dioxide and other molecules into space. Jupiter\\u2019s magnetic field rips the molecules apart, giving them an electric charge. It also accelerates them to extremely high speeds \\u2014 turning them into \\u201cbullets\\u201d that could be deadly to any human visitors.

They\\u2019re not good for robots, either. The belts are especially strong around Jupiter\\u2019s equator, in the realm of the closest moons \\u2014 just the region scientists want to study. So sensitive instruments need good shielding, such as lead boxes, to keep them safe.

Jupiter is close to the right of the gibbous Moon as darkness falls tonight. It looks like a brilliant star.
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Script by Damond Benningfield

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