Science Channel

What would happen if the sun took out our electrical power grid for an entire year? It may sound like the plot of a sci-fi movie, but this doomsday scenario could actually happen. Despite its calm appearance, the sun is a violent place, constantly releasing huge masses of energy known as coronal mass ejections. These storms have hit the earth before. The last big one struck more than 150 years ago in the Victorian era taking out worldwide telegraph service. The impact of a similar storm would be far more destructive in our modern age of hyper-connected telecommunication and total reliance on electricity and electronics. Fortunately scientists and engineers are building the world's largest solar telescope and launching the first ever spacecraft to fly to the sun to help us predict these potentially devastating events - and prepare for them.

On Monday, Aug.21 2017, a total eclipse of the sun passed over the continental United States for the first time in 99 years. The path of totality passed over 14 states – from Oregon in the west to South Carolina in the east – in approximately 93 minutes. This live broadcast captured every moment of the Great American Eclipse. It was live from Madras, Oregon – one of the nation's premier viewing spots – with astronomers and educators, in partnership with the Lowell Observatory. The programme also includes live footage from other prime viewing destinations across American including locations in Tennessee, Idaho, Nebraska, and South Carolina, as well as from the International Space Station.

Hurricanes Harvey and Irma left a deadly trail of destruction throughout the American Southeast. But as these super storms are intensifying scientists are now realizing that the worst might be yet to come.