![]() It surrounds Earth, containing a nearly impenetrable barrier that prevents the fastest, most energetic electrons from reaching Earth.The particles are captured by and held around a planet by that planet’s magnetic field. ![]() The Van Allen radiation belt is a zone of energetic charged particles, most of which originate from the solar wind.This leads to the penetration of solar energetic particles deep into Earth’s atmosphere, posing severe problems for airplanes and ships' positioning systems as well as spacecraft electronic systems.SAA exists because the Earth's inner Van Allen radiation belt comes closest to the planet’s surface, causing an increased flux of energetic particles.Earth’s magnetic field acts like a protective shield around the planet, repelling and trapping charged particles from the Sun.It stretches out between South America and southwest Africa.It is a region at the Earth’s surface where the intensity of the magnetic field is particularly low.“This brings us closer to linking behaviour of the geomagnetic field directly to features of the Earth’s interior.”ĬNN’s Ashley Strickland contributed to this report. “It also supports earlier studies that hint towards a link between the South Atlantic Anomaly and anomalous seismic features in the lowermost mantle and the outer core,” Engbers added. “It suggests that the South Atlantic Anomaly is a recurring feature and probably not a sign of an impending reversal. “This is the first time that the irregular behaviour of the geomagnetic field in the South Atlantic region has been shown on such a long timescale,” Engbers said in the statement. “It reveals that the anomaly in the magnetic field in the South Atlantic is not a one-off similar anomalies existed eight to 11 million years ago.” “Our study provides the first long-term analysis of the magnetic field in this region dating back millions of years,” said lead author Yael Engbers, a doctoral student at the University of Liverpool, in a statement. Michael Collins's Apollo 11 Flown Crew-Signed Beta Patch RR AuctionĪ trove of Apollo spaceflight hardware just sold at auction Here’s the good news: In research published Monday, scientists from the University of Liverpool said they have proof that today’s South Atlantic Anomaly is a recurring feature, and is unlikely to be linked to any impending reversal of the Earth’s magnetic field. The South Atlantic Anomaly is an area stretching from Africa to South America where the Earth’s magnetic field is gradually weakening. The geomagnetic field is not stable in strength and direction, and does have the ability to flip or reverse itself. The Earth’s magnetic field protects our atmosphere from solar wind, which is a stream of charged particles coming from the sun. The area is one of debate between scientists, some of whom question where it comes from, and if it could signal the total weakening of the field, and even an upcoming pole reversal. The perplexing behavior in the South Atlantic region causes technical disturbances in satellites and spacecraft orbiting Earth, which has left experts puzzled. Earth's roaming magnetic poles create longer periods of instability, study says
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