SPACE —The effect on Earth of Cold War nuclear bombs detonated in space is only now beginning to be fully understood by scientists, thanks to the release of recently declassified documents.

Nuclear weapons tests conducted by the United States and Soviet Union between 1958 and 1962 had an impact on space weather, NASA reported on its official website, citing a study published in Space Science Reviews.

Nuclear bombs detonated in space created geomagnetic disturbances in the Earth’s magnetic field. They also caused electric fields to form on the planet’s surface.

Some tests even created radiation belts: a layer of charged particles held in place by the Earth’s magnetic field.

These man-made phenomena caused an aurora to form over the equator, rather than at the poles. They also disrupted satellites and caused electrical currents that damaged power grids.

Nuclear weapons tests in space were halted more than 50 years ago.

Information about the effect of the tests on space weather in the 1960s could help us better understand the space system around Earth, according to NASA.