A solar storm is coming: Should we be scared?

NASA has predicted that a powerful solar storm will hit Earth by 2020, changing life on the planet.

"We depend so much on electromagnetic forces that a solar storm would be devastating," says Antonio Meloni at the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology.

But what is a solar storm?

Solar explosions send solar particles to the deep space. When they reach the Earth, they interact with our magnetic field.

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Meloni says: "Under certain conditions, these interactions might disturb the Earth's magnetic field. This may ultimately damage our technological systems."

He adds that these can affect military activities, for example satellite-guided missiles. This means that if they are pointed at a particular direction, they might miss and hit the wrong target.

A solar storm could also affect air travel navigation and some believe the solar particles could even affect the health of the pilot.

The solar storm phenomena would mostly affect higher latitudes. In Europe, Britain and Scandinavia would be the worst hit.

But are they a real threat?

Solar storms are currently diminishing. They will increase and reach their peak in 2022.

A very strong solar storm in 1989 caused a massive blackout in Quebec that lasted over six hours.