NASA warned that a mysterious “dent” in the Earth’s magnetic field may pose a new threat to satellites and even future space missions because this anomaly is expanding and changing.
Although scientists have known about the South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA) for many years, there have been unexpected changes recently. The earth’s magnetic field is mainly determined by the north and south poles. They represent opposite magnetic poles, so there is an invisible line between them.
Although scientists have known about the South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA) for many years, there have been unexpected changes recently. The earth’s magnetic field is mainly determined by the north and south poles. They represent opposite magnetic poles, so there is an invisible line between them.
However, the movement of the molten metal in the outer core has an effect on this invisible field. “These churning metals are like a huge generator called a geomagnetic generator, which will bring generated electric current,” NASA explained, “because the movement of the earth’s core changes over time and the solid mantle inside and above it Complex geodynamic conditions at the boundary, so the magnetic field will fluctuate in space and time.”
One effect of this fluctuation is the gradual drift of the magnetic pole itself. However, SAA is little known. There, the weaker force in the electric field brings the charged particles from the sun closer to the surface. In fact, they are powerful enough to interfere with computers and sensors on satellites passing through the area.
“Currently, SAA has no obvious impact on daily life on the surface of (earth),” NASA pointed out. “However, recent observations and predictions show that the region is expanding westward and its strength continues to weaken. In addition, it is still splitting-recently The data showed that the abnormal valley, or the area with the smallest magnetic field strength, has split into two lobes, which brings additional challenges to the satellite mission.”
Under normal circumstances, satellite operators will turn off non-essential components when the hardware in orbit passes through the SAA area, so that temporary or even permanent damage can be avoided. In order to do this, the location and distribution of SAA need to be constantly mapped.
Ashley Greeley, a solar physicist at NASA, confirmed that SAA is moving during the mapping process. As the geomagnetic field that helped form this area is moving, the area is also moving, and it is moving northwest. Now, just as weather forecasters track the power of the earth, NASA’s Planetary Geodynamics Laboratory at Goddard Space Flight Center is also making long-term predictions.
In addition to designing better and more stable satellites, it can also design spacecraft to the moon, Mars and other places in the future. Such tracking can also affect humans’ understanding of the earth itself. The planet’s magnetic field has a major impact on many aspects of life, especially its ability to withstand powerful storms of charged particles from the sun. Without it, these storms would cause damage to terrestrial systems.
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