South Atlantic Anomaly
-
Vortex Type: Magnetic
The South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA) is an area where the Earth's inner Van Allen radiation belt comes closest to the Earth's surface dipping down to an altitude of 200 kilometres (120 mi). This leads to an increased flux of energetic particles in this region and exposes orbiting satellites to higher-than-usual levels of radiation. The effect is caused by the non-concentricity of the Earth and its magnetic dipole, and the SAA is the near-Earth region where the Earth's magnetic field is weakest relative to an idealized Earth-centered dipole field.
-
The South Atlantic Anomaly is of great significance to astronomical satellites and other spacecraft that orbit the Earth at several hundred kilometers altitude; these orbits take satellites through the anomaly periodically, exposing them to several minutes of strong radiation, caused by the trapped protons in the inner Van Allen belt. Astronauts are also affected by this region, which is said to be the cause of peculiar "shooting stars" (phosphenes) seen in the visual field of astronauts.
The PAMELA experiment, while passing through the SAA, detected antiproton levels that were orders of magnitude higher than expected. This suggests the Van Allen belt confines antiparticles produced by the interaction of the Earth's upper atmosphere with cosmic rays.
NASA has reported that modern laptops have crashed when Space Shuttle flights passed through the anomaly.
In October 2012, the SpaceX CRS-1 Dragon spacecraft attached to the International Space Station experienced a transient problem as it passed through the anomaly.
The SAA is believed to have started a series of events leading to the destruction of the Hitomi, Japan's most powerful X-ray observatory. The anomaly transiently disabled a direction-finding mechanism, causing the satellite to fall back on gyroscopes that were not working properly, after which it spun itself apart.
Resources
Image in Public Domain via Wikimedia
What is the South Atlantic Anomaly? - NASA
New Hubblecast Video Explores the South Atlantic Anomaly
The South Atlantic Anomaly - Paranormal-Encyclopedia.com
Something strange in the South Atlantic
Note: There is currently no scientific method to prove that vortexes exist. Just because a location is on the vortex map, does not prove there is a vortex there. What it means, is that someone suggested the location and provided evidence or a personal account, and/or we found corroborating evidence from other sources. We do this so other visitors to the site can send us their opinion on the validity of the vortex claim, to build a consensus.
Have you visited this location? If so, contact us and let us know if you think this place is a vortex or not. We will post your comments here.
