What sounds like the plot of a sci-fi thriller became a reality last year after a solar flare left a crack in the Earth’s magnetic field, our protective barrier.

According to the study published about the event, that appear to have weakened our planet’s magnetic shield.

, according to the American Physical Society. The particles slammed the Earth’s magnetosphere and, during the storm, knocked out radio signals in North and South America.

ScienceAlert describes the event as .

Observational data from India’s GRAPES-3 cosmic ray telescope show an unusually high amount of cosmic rays made it past Earth’s magnetosphere during the storm, causing a 3-hour-long cosmic ray shower on the planet, also according to APS. Scientists believe the rays temporarily weakened the polar magnetic field, allowing the cosmic rays to enter the field.

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Earth’s magnetic field typically deflects most cosmic rays, shielding us from harmful radiation. However, large geomagnetic storms such as that one can reshape our protective shield and open up weak spots that allow radiation and cosmic rays to slip through.

Of course, researchers are concerned that this happened. It suggests that our magnetic field may be changing or weakening in certain parts. Our magnetosphere was only temporarily cracked, but the major red flag is that it’s possible to crack our shield at all.

However, the scientists involved in the study remained positive, writing that this interstellar blast “may hold clues for a better understanding of future superstorms that could cripple modern technological infrastructure on Earth, and endanger the lives of the astronauts in space.”

MORE ON WEATHER.COM: March 2016 Solar Eclipse

A Bangladeshi man watches a partial solar eclipse in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Wednesday, March 9, 2016. Bangladeshi and Indian people in northeast and eastern coastal strip of the sub-continent viewed a partial solar eclipse as a total eclipse of the sun unfolded over Indonesia on Wednesday, briefly plunging cities into darkness and startling wildlife. (AP Photo/ A.M. Ahad)

At a Glance

In June 2015, a geomagnetic storm opened up a crack in the Earth's magnetic field.The storm has been described as one of the most powerful in recent history.