Dent in Earth’s Magnetic Field! NASA Monitors Strange Anomaly That Could Damage Satellites and Spacecraft
NASA has found a weak spot in the magnetic field, called the South Atlantic Anomaly, fortunately, the space agency said that it will not affect the Earth. They have reported a splitting dent in Earth’s magnetic field. The Earth's magnetic field protects us, acting as a shield against the solar wind.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has found a weak spot in the magnetic field, called the South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA), fortunately, the space agency said that it will not affect the Earth. They have reported a splitting dent in Earth’s magnetic field. The Earth's magnetic field protects us, acting as a shield against the solar wind. This field's protection also extends to include satellites orbiting close to Earth. However, the SAA causes these particles to dip closer to the surface than they are supposed to. This may cause interference in the data collection by knocking out satellites’ computers. US Pentagon to Reveal UFO Findings Of Unexplained Alien 'Vehicles Not Made on This Earth' to The Public.
According to NASA, the SAA s allows solar particles to get closer than before. While it has not had any visible effect on Earth, expanding westward and splitting into two lobes which can result in the weakening of the magnetic field. Solar radiation could have a negative effect as satellites pass through this area thus causing a disturbance with data collection. Sun May Have Started Life With Binary Companion, Says Study.
Weijia Kuang, a geophysicist and mathematician in Goddard’s Geodesy and Geophysics Laboratory was quoted as saying, "The observed SAA can be also interpreted as a consequence of weakening the dominance of the dipole field in the region. More specifically, a localized field with reversed polarity grows strongly in the SAA region, thus making the field intensity very weak, weaker than that of the surrounding regions."
NASA Explores Earth's Magnetic 'Dent':
Scientists are now monitoring the SAA to predict future changes to remain prepared for the upcoming challenges. This study will also help scientists understand what is happening inside the globe to Earth’s magnetic fields. While currently, the situation looks normal, if the anomaly weakens further, the satellites passing through SAA will get hit by solar particles. This can result in a short circuit and further lead to permanent damage. However, his anomaly would not cause damage to life on earth right now.
"Even though the SAA is slow-moving, it is going through some change in morphology, so it's also important that we keep observing it by having continued missions," Terry Sabaka, a geophysicist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland, said in the statement.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 19, 2020 03:48 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).