Subdeacon Joe Posted August 19, 2020 Share Posted August 19, 2020 https://www.sciencealert.com/nasa-is-tracking-the-mysterious-evolving-anomaly-in-earth-s-magnetic-field?fbclid=IwAR27V6atfCxXLQhSY_IdKRK_QZ3KxQvm0f0UfcNkAziDnD-N3iZWHzGPHMM NASA Is Tracking a Vast, Growing Anomaly in Earth's Magnetic Field PETER DOCKRILL 18 AUGUST 2020 NASA is actively monitoring a strange anomaly in Earth's magnetic field: a giant region of lower magnetic intensity in the skies above the planet, stretching out between South America and southwest Africa. This vast, developing phenomenon, called the South Atlantic Anomaly, has intrigued and concerned scientists for years, and perhaps none more so than NASA researchers. The space agency's satellites and spacecraft are particularly vulnerable to the weakened magnetic field strength within the anomaly, and the resulting exposure to charged particles from the Sun. The South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA) – likened by NASA to a 'dent' in Earth's magnetic field, or a kind of 'pothole in space' – generally doesn't affect life on Earth, but the same can't be said for orbital spacecraft (including the International Space Station), which pass directly through the anomaly as they loop around the planet at low-Earth orbit altitudes. During these encounters, the reduced magnetic field strength inside the anomaly means technological systems onboard satellites can short-circuit and malfunction if they become struck by high-energy protons emanating from the Sun. These random hits may usually only produce low-level glitches, but they do carry the risk of causing significant data loss, or even permanent damage to key components – threats obliging satellite operators to routinely shut down spacecraft systems before spacecraft enter the anomaly zone. Mitigating those hazards in space is one reason NASA is tracking the SAA; another is that the mystery of the anomaly represents a great opportunity to investigate a complex and difficult-to-understand phenomenon, and NASA's broad resources and research groups are uniquely well-appointed to study the occurrence."The magnetic field is actually a superposition of fields from many current sources," explains geophysicist Terry Sabaka from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Centre in Greenbelt, Maryland. The primary source is considered to be a swirling ocean of molten iron inside Earth's outer core, thousands of kilometres below the ground. The movement of that mass generates electrical currents that create Earth's magnetic field, but not necessarily uniformly, it seems. A huge reservoir of dense rock called the African Large Low Shear Velocity Province, located about 2,900 kilometres (1,800 miles) below the African continent, disturbs the field's generation, resulting in the dramatic weakening effect – which is aided by the tilt of the planet's magnetic axis. "The observed SAA can be also interpreted as a consequence of weakening dominance of the dipole field in the region," says NASA Goddard geophysicist and mathematician Weijia Kuang. "More specifically, a localised field with reversed polarity grows strongly in the SAA region, thus making the field intensity very weak, weaker than that of the surrounding regions." Satellite data suggesting the SAA is dividing. (Division of Geomagnetism, DTU Space) While there's much scientists still don't fully understand about the anomaly and its implications, new insights are continually shedding light on this strange phenomenon. For example, one study led by NASA heliophysicist Ashley Greeley in 2016 revealed the SAA is drifting slowly in a north-westerly direction. It's not just moving, however. Even more remarkably, the phenomenon seems to be in the process of splitting in two, with researchers this year discovering that the SAA appears to be dividing into two distinct cells, each representing a separate centre of minimum magnetic intensity within the greater anomaly. Just what that means for the future of the SAA remains unknown, but in any case, there's evidence to suggest that the anomaly is not a new appearance. A study published last month suggested the phenomenon is not a freak event of recent times, but a recurrent magnetic event that may have affected Earth since as far back as 11 million years ago. If so, that could signal that the South Atlantic Anomaly is not a trigger or precursor to the entire planet's magnetic field flipping, which is something that actually happens, if not for hundreds of thousands of years at a time. Obviously, huge questions remain, but with so much going on with this vast magnetic oddity, it's good to know the world's most powerful space agency is watching it as closely as they are. "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," says Sabaka. "Because that's what helps us make models and predictions." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Riot Posted August 19, 2020 Share Posted August 19, 2020 Technology has really come a long way. Here is that same image in 1920. Sorry...couldn’t resist. No, I’m not sorry... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Riot Posted August 19, 2020 Share Posted August 19, 2020 Thanks Joe. I still believe that this “Climate Change” that we have now is due to this magnetic anomaly and the fact that the magnetic North Pole has moved significantly in the past few decades. https://www.forbes.com/sites/trevornace/2019/02/05/earths-magnetic-north-pole-has-officially-moved/#655655246862 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Magnetic_Pole Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdeacon Joe Posted August 19, 2020 Author Share Posted August 19, 2020 2 hours ago, Pat Riot, SASS #13748 said: No, I’m not sorry... Yes you are! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tascosa, SASS# 24838 Posted August 19, 2020 Share Posted August 19, 2020 Thanks, now I have one more thing to worry about, and Im retired so I have a lot of time to think. Haha just joshin' ya. I quit worrying about stuff when I got married as my wife knows almost everything and I let her worry. And Im married to the boss so my job is secure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forty Rod SASS 3935 Posted August 19, 2020 Share Posted August 19, 2020 IT'S ALL TRUMP'S FAULT! We GOTTA get a sarcasm thingy on here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badger Mountain Charlie SASS #43172 Posted August 19, 2020 Share Posted August 19, 2020 Sooooo, the Law of Gravity is flawed? Well, if you folks would eat more greens and quit eating red meat, quit burning fossil fuels, Fracking, buy more electric cars, and stop shooting black powder, we could beat this thing. Don't ya think? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forty Rod SASS 3935 Posted August 19, 2020 Share Posted August 19, 2020 I almost never think, but I don't agree with that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Father Kit Cool Gun Garth Posted August 19, 2020 Share Posted August 19, 2020 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sedalia Dave Posted August 19, 2020 Share Posted August 19, 2020 1 hour ago, Badger Mountain Charlie SASS #43172 said: stop shooting black powder, Smile when you say that; Them thars fight'n words Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joke 'um Posted August 19, 2020 Share Posted August 19, 2020 Poles are gonna flip. Rotation is gonna change to westerly. We're all gonna be upside down and getting younger. 2020 will be both the last year of the past and the first year of the future. My predictions are always right. Plan accordingly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 Posted August 20, 2020 Share Posted August 20, 2020 15 hours ago, Forty Rod SASS 3935 said: IT'S ALL TRUMP'S FAULT! it’s Clinton’s fault! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
South-Eye Ned Posted August 20, 2020 Share Posted August 20, 2020 The only thing that is consistent is change. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 Posted August 20, 2020 Share Posted August 20, 2020 There is a disturbance in the Force! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forty Rod SASS 3935 Posted August 20, 2020 Share Posted August 20, 2020 8 hours ago, Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 said: it’s Clinton’s fault! Not according to all the communist a--holes out there in control of the media. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badger Mountain Charlie SASS #43172 Posted August 20, 2020 Share Posted August 20, 2020 After watching the program last night, about pending doom from Yellowstone's next eruption, the dimple in the earth's magnetic field, and The Dim's convention, I just about am ready to throw in the towel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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