The U.S. government are preparing for a catastrophic solar flare which could wipe out power across the world for months.

The last powerful geomagnetic solar storm which hit the earth was in 1859 which caused telegraph lines to explode, setting fire to some telegraph offices, and power to fail across Europe and North America. In today's far more advanced and technological world, experts the effects would be devastating. The massive electromagnetic pulse (EMP) from solar flares could wipe out power grids, bringing an end to modern civilization as we know it as cellphones, credit cards and the internet were rendered useless.

In the U.S, alone researchers estimate the cost on the fragile economy would be up to $2.6 trillion, according to a 2008 National Academy of Sciences study.

The report warned that power outages after an extreme solar storm could last months or even longer if it wiped out the transformers.A catastrophic solar storm came terrifyingly close in 2012 but passed the Earth's orbit without striking the planet.