How a Rare Solar ‘Superflare’ Could Cripple Humanity

Our networked, electrified society makes us uniquely vulnerable to the effects of sudden solar weather

A fairly routine solar storm known as a coronal mass ejection (CME) lifts off the sun on Dec. 2, 2003. This one is nothing compared to what scientists say is possible. Image: NASA/SOHO

Life on Earth wouldn’t be possible without the steady shine of our sun, but every now and again, it flares up, at times so strongly it disrupts cell phone calls, knocks a satellite or two silly, trips a…