South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA), known as the Bermuda Triangle of Space, is the point where the Van Allen radiation belts that surround the Earth come closest to the planet’s surface. It is between 1,000 and 6,000 km above the Earth’s surface and one of the most dangerous areas of radiation ever encountered. Astronauts on space shuttles complain of the crashing of laptop computers when they pass through the anomaly. The SAA is of great significance to astronomical satellites which orbit the Earth at an attitude of 700 km; these orbits take satellites through the anomaly periodically, exposing them to strong radiations. This anomaly is slowly moving westwards.
South Atlantic Anomaly
