A growing dent in Earth’s magnetic field over South America and the southern Atlantic Ocean has turned out to be a cause for concern, as it could pose a risk to spacecraft and satellites. The dent, termed as the South Atlantic Anomaly, is being monitored by NASA, who said, ‘it will not affect us here on Earth’.

NASA said that the anomaly is expanding westward, weakening the magnetic field. The recent data also suggests that it is splitting into two lobes, creating additional challenges for satellite missions.

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“Particle radiation in this region can knock out onboard computers and interfere with the data collection of satellites that pass through it,” NASA said in a statement explaining the consequences associated with the growing dent.

The satellites travelling through this weak area in the magnetic field, now face the threat of being hit by energised particles which could lead to short-circuit, glitch or even sustain permanent damage. As of now, the operators shut down the components of the satellite when they travel through the dent, in order to reduce the risk associated with losing key instruments or the whole satellite.

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The International Space Station also passes through the anomaly. While the astronauts are safe inside the station, instruments on the outside of it that collect data can experience issues.