No, Earth Wasn’t Nearly Destroyed By a 2012 Solar Storm

Yes, a large glob of plasma and magnetic fields from the sun did just miss us two years ago, as news organizations have feverishly reported over the past few days, following a NASA press release. At the time, scientists were hugely relieved it flew by Earth and missed us entirely. If it had hit, the coronal mass ejection (CME) could have decimated power grids on the ground and sizzled satellite electronics in space, causing widespread communications and electricity blackouts. It would not, however, have destroyed the entire planet (unless you equate the loss of the internet with the end of existence).