red alternator light, just came on while driving Options

[GreatPumpkin]

while driving all of a sudden the red alternator light came on and stayed on until i got to my destination. i let the car sit for a few minutes, then i turned it back on an the alternator light was still on. in the operating manual it says something about a "loose or broken v-belt". or it could be a defective alternator. ive never had any problems with this until now and im a little nervous to keep driving it with the light on. does anyone know where is the "v-belt" located and how do i check to see if it is loose or broken? could it just be that the alternator has gone bad? could it be anything else causing the light to be on? Again i was driving the car with the light on butonly for a short distance, and it seemed to be running fine, the only problem was the light was on. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/WTF.gif)

[GreatPumpkin]

i checked all of the fuses under the steering wheel and the two inside the engine compartment and they are all good. i also checked the v - belt with a hand mirror to make sure it is running properly which it is. i dont know why the light is on. when i turn the key to the on position without starting the car all of the warning lights come on like normal i just dont understand why the light is on. i turned the car on and it started right up but the light is still on. does this mean the car is running off the battery? if it is will the car just die driving on my way to work tomorrow?