Solar Storm Almost Destroyed World

The most powerful solar storm in more than 150 years just missed planet Earth in 2012. That storm would’ve seen X-rays hitting Earth at light speed and destroying most electrical gear. The solar storm was caused by two large clouds of plasma known as coronal mass ejections being released by the Sun. “If it had hit, we would still be picking up the pieces,” said physicist Daniel Baker of the University of Colorado. Luckily, it missed Earth. But if the blast had occurred a week earlier, it would have been a different story. According to the study, which was released by NASA on Wednesday, the total economic impact would be $2 trillion, or about the cost of 20 Hurricane Katrinas.