‘Mysterious dent’ in Earth’s magnetic field found to be causing ‘substantial weakening’ and is visible to the naked eye
A MYSTERIOUS dent found in one of the weakest parts of Earth's magnetic field is producing a change that's visible to the naked eye.
The dent is located above the Atlantic Ocean and seems to affect areas in the southern hemisphere of the planet.
The dent is called the South Atlantic Anomanly and is located at the weakest part of Earth's magnetic field, right over South America and part of the Atlantic Ocean.
A study shows that the anomaly has a visible effect on the southern aurora borealis, also known as the southern lights.
These lights occur in Antarctica and are similar to the northern lights, which appear over the Arctic and Subarctic.
"Our discovery highlights the significance of Earth-related factors, such as anomalies in Earth's intrinsic magnetic fields that rotate with the Earth," said the new study, published in the journal
Researchers found a "substantial weakening" of the magnetic fluctuations in the southern lights.
They theorize that the weakening is likely visible to the naked eye, meaning that the gorgeous and iconic phenomenon could be growing fainter due to the changes that Earth is experiencing.
If you're interested in reading more news related to the Earth, earlier this month, footage captured a space capsule reentering the planet.
The footage lasts 5 minutes and condenses the process of separation to touchdown.
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The sight was stunning by many viewers, who shared their thoughts online.
"Going from pure black space with visible stars to pointing directly at the Sun, without a noticeable change in exposure," wrote a viewer on YouTube.
"Bonkers."
The capsule was built by Varda Space Industries and is called a W-1.
These devices are sold to various businesses to manufacture products that can only be made in space.
The capsule was launched aboard a SpaceX rocket in 2023 and reentered Earth this February 21st.
In this instance, the capsule was used to grow the crystals of a drug called ritonavir.
The drug can be used to treat diseases like HIV and hepatitis C.
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"We manufacture pharmaceuticals in space," said Will Bruey, the CEO of Varda.
"Removing gravity allows us to make medicines you otherwise couldn't on Earth."
