The shield protecting the Earth is weakening

The shield protecting the Earth is weakening, allowing harmful solar winds to enter the Earth's atmosphere.

The shield protecting the Earth is weakening

Known as the " magnetic field " or " magnetism ", the shield protecting the Earth spans thousands of kilometers in space and affects everything from global communications to weather patterns. .

The magnetic field - the shield protecting the Earth is weakening, allowing harmful solar winds to penetrate the planet's atmosphere.(Photo: Corbis)

The European Aeronautics Agency (ESA) has promoted the Swarm mission to map changes that occur with the magnetic field. And after a year in orbit, three satellites of the Swarm mission have now obtained worrying information about the shield that protects our planet.

Swarm satellites detect, the Earth's magnetic layer is weakening, with the most serious decline occurring above the Western hemisphere. However, in other areas, such as the southern Indian Ocean, the magnetic field has strengthened since January 2014. The measurement results also confirm the movement of the North school toward Siberia.

This initial information is expected to be submitted to the International General Assembly of Geological and Geophysical Union, taking place in Prague, Czech Republic from June 22 to July 2.

Rune Floberghagen, official of the Swarm mission, stressed: " What has been achieved shows that every elaborate effort to make Swarm a magnetic measurement mission in the best space ever is definitely becoming public ".

The mission of Swarm is to measure and troubleshoot different magnetic signals, originating from the Earth's core, mantle, crust, oceans, ionosphere and magnetosphere. This four-year mission hopes to finally be able to provide insight into many different natural processes, from what happens deep within the planet to the weather in space due to the sun's activity. .

Three satellites belong to the same Swarm mission, but to optimize sampling in space - time, their orbits differ and change according to the mission's process.

Researchers expect, for at least three years to work in orbit, Swarm satellites will eventually provide information to help predict the shield 's transformation to protect the Earth in the coming decades. for humanity to prepare and find appropriate solutions.