unilad homepage
unilad homepage
    • News
      • UK News
      • US News
      • World News
      • Crime
      • Health
      • Money
      • Sport
      • Travel
    • Music
    • Technology
    • Film and TV
      • News
      • DC Comics
      • Disney
      • Marvel
      • Netflix
    • Celebrity
    • Politics
    • Advertise
    • Terms
    • Privacy & Cookies
    • LADbible Group
    • LADbible
    • SPORTbible
    • GAMINGbible
    • Tyla
    • UNILAD Tech
    • FOODbible
    • License Our Content
    • About Us & Contact
    • Jobs
    • Latest
    • Archive
    • Topics A-Z
    • Authors
    Facebook
    Instagram
    X
    Threads
    TikTok
    YouTube
    Submit Your Content
    Scientists have discovered monumental 'weak spot' in Earth's magnetic field is growing and it could have huge consequences

    Home> Technology> Space

    Published 16:49 23 Feb 2025 GMT

    Scientists have discovered monumental 'weak spot' in Earth's magnetic field is growing and it could have huge consequences

    Experts first made the discovery in Earth's magnetic field in 2020

    Callum Jones

    Callum Jones

    google discoverFollow us on Google Discover

    Scientists have discovered a monumental 'weak spot' in our planet's magnetic field is growing, which could have huge consequences for us on Earth.

    Space is constantly changing, with NASA focusing many of their attentions on the 'city-destroying' asteroid these days.

    But that doesn't mean the space agency isn't working on other things behind the scenes, and it was revealed earlier this year that NASA had been alerted to a huge 'dent' in Earth's magnetic field that could prove dangerous to both biological and mechanical production.

    The discovery has scientists concerned (Getty Stock Photo)
    The discovery has scientists concerned (Getty Stock Photo)

    Advert

    The massive 'weak spot' could potentially allow dangerous radiation from the Sun to penetrate the surface of our planet, according to NASA.

    The area of which the discovery has been made is known as the South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA), and it stretches around 4,300,000 square miles across an area that encompasses the continents of South America and Africa.

    It's believed this SAA has expanded by around seven percent since it was discovered in 2020, though experts have seen a ton of changes in it ever since.

    Scientists say the SAA has shifted from a single zone into two separate 'blobs' that compromise Earth due to limited magnetic strength.

    Earth's magnetic field is extremely crucial, as it prevents dangerous radiation from the Sun that would prove harmful to biological life on the surface.

    You've also got the impacts on technology, with damage to satellites in orbit right now potentially disabling computer signals and compromising satellite data collection.

    Terry Sabaka, a geophysicist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, said: "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, because that's what helps us make models and predictions."

    NASA are closely watching things (NASA)
    NASA are closely watching things (NASA)

    It comes as the space boffins over at NASA continue to look closer into the 'city-destroying' asteroid that could hit Earth on December 22, 2032.

    As for where it’ll hit the Earth, David Rankin, who works as an operations engineer for the University of Arizona's Catalina Sky Survey, mapped out a 'risk corridor', predicting it to collide anywhere around northern South America, across the Pacific Ocean, southern Asia, the Arabian Sea, and Africa.

    That would mean that India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Sudan, Nigeria, Venezuela, Colombia, and Ecuador would be at risk of taking the brunt of the impact.

    Featured Image Credit: Getty Images/ANDRZEJ WOJCICKI

    Topics: Science, Space, NASA, Earth

    Callum Jones
    Callum Jones

    Advert

    Advert

    Advert

    • Trump welcomes Artemis ll crew and claims he would have 'no trouble' making it as an astronaut
    • NASA says 1,300 pound probe could crash into Earth today after 14 years in space
    • Scientists issue chilling warning to how the world could possibly end and give a timeframe
    • Scientists have created the first 'black hole bomb' and it could have a major impact

    Choose your content:

    4 hours ago
    7 hours ago
    2 days ago
    7 days ago
    • Christopher Willard/Disney via Getty Images
      4 hours ago

      Shark Tank star Lori Greiner issues warning over hidden Gmail setting and reveals how to disable it

      Lori Greiner has warned 1.8 billion Gmail users about a setting that allows access to their private emails

      Technology
    • Getty Stock
      7 hours ago

      Every country where ChatGPT is banned and why

      One in eight people on the planet can't access ChatGPT - and their governments want to keep it that way

      Technology
    • Getty Stock Images
      2 days ago

      Man who used AI to apply to 1,000 jobs while he was sleeping woke up to mind blowing results

      Work smart, not harder has taken on a whole new meaning

      Technology
    • Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
      7 days ago

      OpenAI names 22 industries at risk of job losses as it proposes four day week

      Two new reports suggest AI might be coming for your job - but you could also get a three day weekend

      Technology