Space Region Has ‘Bermuda Triangle’ Moniker

The Bermuda Triangle has lent its name to a “vast region above Earth has been known to wreak havoc on spacecraft that happen to enter the area.”

A Space.com story said, “Ships, airplanes and people have been known to disappear without explanation in an area of the North Atlantic Ocean known as the Bermuda Triangle.

“Could it be extraterrestrials, some force pulling objects under the sea or a link to the fabled lost city of Atlantis? Or could it simply be bad weather, human error or heavy traffic in the region? No one knows for certain, but more than 50 ships and 20 planes have vanished since the mid-19th century.

“That’s actually no more than in any other well-traveled area of the ocean, but still, the conspiracy theories persist.

“If we look skyward we can explore a similar phenomenon dubbed the “Bermuda Triangle of space.” This vast region above Earth has been known to wreak havoc on spacecraft that happen to enter the area. The craft aren’t suddenly vanishing into thin air, but the disruption that’s caused is nevertheless serious, and it poses problems for both equipment and astronauts.

“The Bermuda Triangle of space lies above the South Atlantic, stretching from Chile to Zimbabwe, and sits at the point where the inner Van Allen radiation belt comes closest to Earth’s surface. Earth has two Van Allen belts, which are two doughnut-shaped rings of charged particles that surround our planet, held in place by Earth’s magnetic field.

“At the location of the Bermuda Triangle of space, or the South Atlantic Anomaly [SAA] as it is formally known, Earth’s magnetic field is particularly weak. This means the particles of solar cosmic rays are not being held back to the same extent as they are elsewhere above the planet.

“As a result, solar rays come as close as 200 kilometers [124 miles] to the Earth’s surface. The more intense solar radiation results in an increased flux of energetic particles in this area.

“I’m not fond of the nickname, but in that region, 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,” said John Tarduno, professor of geophysics at the University of Rochester.

“The lower magnetic field intensity allows Earth’s radiation belt — technically the inner belt — to come closer to Earth’s surface,” Tarduno told All About Space.

“Thus satellites passing through this region will experience higher amounts of radiation to the point that damage could occur. Think about an electrical discharge or arc. With more incoming radiation, a satellite can become charged, and attendant arcs can result in serious damage.”

You can read the full story here on Space.com.

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