Uranus radiation belt linked to solar storm-driven waves: SwRI

A reanalysis of Voyager 2 data by Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) reveals that a solar storm likely created Uranus' unexpectedly strong electron radiation belt. A massive solar wind structure, called a co-rotating interaction region, may have hit the planet during the 1986 flyby, supercharging electrons to higher energies than predicted. This explains mystery of Uranus' tilted magnetic field.