What would happen minute-by-minute if a SUPERFLARE hit Earth

A solar 'superflare' is a huge explosion on the sun's surface which releases a huge amount of energy in a very short time.

It is capable of releasing one octillion joules of energy - that is one followed by 27 zeros .

The last time Earth was hit by a superflare was during the 1859 Carrington Event , which was strong enough to give electric shocks to telegraph operators and set sheets of paper alight.

But experts now say that the planet could soon be hit by another solar flare more than 100 times more powerful and far more devastating.

From the flare's eruption from the sun, Earth will have just eight minutes before the first wave of radiation.

A solar superflare is expected to reach Earth in less than a day .

It could cause serious damage to satellites we use to communicate, navigate, and monitor the Earth .

NASA astronauts could receive a deadly dose of ionising radiation from a solar storm.

The International Space Station could also be at risk of radiation from the solar radiation storm.

A solar flare on the scale of the 1859 Carrington Event could leave 20 million people in the US without power for up to two years .