While that particular bit of saber rattling seems to have come to an end, many people are understandably still worried that civilization might end soon. Some have opined that civilization hasn't felt very civilized lately, and maybe it might be time for it to either improve drastically or get the ending over with, already.

Whatever your take on our impending doom, fear of the indirect effects of a nuclear attack has led more than one of our readers to ask whether and how solar panels might survive. Good question!

The short answer is solar panels will probably get zapped by a nuclear EMP, because the wires they're connected to will cause extremely high voltages to backfeed into them. But there are ways to protect solar panels from an EMP, so don't lose all hope yet.

First, let's get some context and explanation out of the way:

The thing to be worried about here is what's known as a nuclear electromagnetic pulse, or EMP for short. If a nuclear weapon of sufficient size is detonated high in the atmosphere, an EMP can disrupt everything that uses electronic circuitry, potentially causing irreversible damage to electronics in cars, airplanes, the U.S. electric grid, and yes, your home solar system. Of course, if a nuke is detonated a little closer to the ground, the EMP will be the least of your worries.

How does an EMP work?
Basically, a nuclear EMP disrupts the earth's magnetic field to such a great degree that it causes electrons to go spiraling out all over the place, spontaneously zapping electronics in its path. There are three phases to a nuclear EMP: E1, E2, and E3.

E1 is the most damaging and fast-acting pulse, a huge burst of gamma radiation that saturates every meter of air within its considerable range with up to 50,000 volts of electricity within a few nanoseconds of the nuclear explosion.