What? There's a Bermuda Triangle in space too and it is expanding day by day

Time of India

4 days ago

The Bermuda Triangle has been one among the most intriguing mysteries on the earth that remain unsolved till date. This unravelled phenomenon has been centered around the tales of vanishing ships, lost aircraft, and unexplained disappearances.
Despite scientific explanations dismissing these as results of natural forces and human error, the lore persists. Interestingly, a similar phenomenon exists above our planet also, not one of vanishing vessels, but of real danger to satellites and astronauts.
Called as the 'Bermuda Triangle of space,' the South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA) is a vast region above the Earth stretching from Chile to Zimbabwe where the planet's magnetic field is unusually weak.
While spacecraft don't disappear into thin air here, the risk is still high. Satellites that travel through this region experience increased radiation exposure, potentially leading to malfunctions, system failures, and even complete breakdowns.
As space research is advancing day by day, understanding this anomaly has become increasingly important. The SAA poses a real hazard to the growing fleet of satellites and manned missions circling our planet.
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Scientists and engineers are constantly monitoring it, looking for ways to mitigate its effects.
What is the South Atlantic Anomaly?
The South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA) exists where the inner Van Allen radiation belt dips closest to Earth. This proximity results in an area of intensified radiation, and makes spacecraft vulnerable to charged particles from the Sun. Being different from the other areas where Earth's magnetic field deflects these particles, the SAA allows them to come dangerously close as little as 200 km from the surface.
This increased exposure causes serious disruptions. According to John Tarduno, a geophysics professor at the University of Rochester, "The lower geomagnetic field intensity eventually results in a greater vulnerability of satellites to energetic particles, to the point that spacecraft damage could occur as they traverse the area", as reported by All About Space.
Satellites passing through the SAA are often put into safe mode to protect sensitive equipment.
The Hubble Space Telescope, for instance, crosses the anomaly about 10 times daily and is unable to collect data during these periods, which makes to nearly 15% of its operational time.
What is the reason behind this anomaly?
The anomaly's origin lies deep within the Earth. A reversed flux patch under Africa is weakening the magnetic field in this region. 'Under Africa, at the core-mantle boundary... the field is reversed,' Tarduno explained. 'It is this patch that seems to be causing most of the weak field and the SAA.'
The anomaly is slowly drifting westward and splitting in two. NASA's missions, such as the Ionospheric Connection Explorer, monitor these changes to better predict and protect future missions.
As space technology becomes more advanced and dependent on electronics, the SAA presents an ever-growing risk. Incidents like the $273 million failure of Japan's Hitomi satellite highlight how devastating the consequences can be when a spacecraft encounters this zone unprepared.