NASA scientists were quick to reassure the world's population that we don't face imminent doom just yet.
We've got at least until 2013 before the brown stuff hits the fan.
The apparent problem is a cyclical increase in sunspot and solar storm activity, the onset of which could manifest itself in 2012. The resultant waves of electrically charged radiation could play havoc with electronic systems causing massive damage to our infrastructure.
We asked our science correspondent Izzy Einstein, who has a GCSE in Physics what the possible effects of such an event would entail?
"All the electronic stuff will probably crash," he told us. "Planes will fall out of the sky, hospital patients on monitors and stuff will probably receive electric shocks which make them fall out of bed, mobile phones will crash, computers won't work, the banking system and all computers will either crash or blow up, and them big flat screen tellies will burst into flames."
Other experts warned that people in skimpy summer clothing will probably get really bad sunburn with massive blisters, there'll be no cold beer in the pubs or supermarkets, sat-nav systems would cease to work leading to motorway carnage, there'll be black-outs for months, everybody will have to take a few months off work, there'll be no petrol, and no daytime TV. Summer temeratures in the UK could soar as high as 58C, apart from coastal areas where it will probably be a more comfortable 61C.
But aside from that it'll be pretty much business as usual.
Possibly with excessive levels of vuvuzela blowing.
So, that's all right then.
More as we get it. DON'T PANIC!
