Sat navs sent haywire by Northern Lights
Scientists have discovered that the the effects of the Northern Lights on the Earth’s atmosphere can cause sat navs to go wrong.
Researchers from the University of Bath showed that the electromagnetic interference interrupts signals from GPS satellites to the in-car devices, meaning that sat navs either state faulty positions or lose their places altogether.
The Northern and Southern Lights are know to cause chaos with navigational systems of all kinds but with the Earth just the other side of an aurora minimum and a maximum on the way in 2012, we should expect to see just how problematic they can be as sat navs become ubiquitous.
The device makers say that the problems are only temporary which is all very well provided you’re not driving near any short piers or approaching the wrong side of a dual carriageway. Keep your wits about you.
(via PC Pro)
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