When a solar storm hit in 1859, the world’s telegraph machines sparked into life on their own—setting fires and electrocuting their operators.
Nowadays, with so many electrical systems in place, a solar storm could be truly devastating.
And, worse still, if one hits, humankind will only get twelve hours notice.
Eep.
Yup, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) have warned that we may only get 12 hours’ notice, and “much more needs to be done” to protect ourselves.
In the worst case scenario, they explain, a "coronal mass ejection" from the sun could cause damage to the National Grid, satellite systems, communications and air and rail travel.
Erm, yeah - so what’s that in layman’s terms?
Well, according to the guys in the know, coronal mass ejections are huge eruptions on the surface of the sun which cause large parts of the sun’s piping-hot gassy atmosphere to blast away into space.
Professor Alan Woodward, Department of Computing, University of Surrey, has said that, if this happens, the impact on our planet would be “devastating.”
He explained: “For that very reason the military have developed so-called Electromagnetic Pulse weapons that can shut down large areas without causing a great deal of physical damage. But what man can do, nature can do on a much larger scale.
“Without computers the modern world would simply cease to function. Life as we know it would grind to a halt.
"It is therefore scary to know that these computers are remarkably susceptible to electronic interference which can bring about this situation.”
They’ve advised members of the public to prepare for the possibility of severe space weather the same way we’d prepare for more earthly hazards like floods or storms.
That means (for those not in the know) we ought to stock up on tinned food, first aid kits, portable radios (with batteries), essential medication, drinking water… the usual home emergency supplies.
However there IS some good news; severe solar storms are rare - very rare.
In fact, experts estimate that massive flares happen about once every 150 years.
But (more bad news, sorry) it has been 156 years since the last one, which means that Earth is due a coronal mass ejection soon.
Good luck, everyone!