Hubble bombarded by high energy particles

This animation shows an artist's impression of what happens to Hubble as it transits through the perilous region known as the South Atlantic Anomaly.

When satellites pass through this area they are bombarded with swarms of intensely high energy particles. This can produce "glitches" in astronomical data, malfunctioning of on-board electronics, and has even shut down unprepared spacecraft for weeks!

The video is from Hubblecast 77: Hubble and the Bermuda Triangle of space. A Hubblecast that tells the story of what happens to Hubble in this mysterious region.