It was larger than the March 1989 flare that caused the power blackout in Quebec. Though the Earth was spared the brunt of the April 2 flare, radiation and particles from the eruption caused a blackout on navigational frequencies, temporarily grounding commercial and military aircraft in northern regions. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration also received reports of disrupted global positioning satellite communications. According to CNN, sources at America Online speculate that solar activity could be responsible for repeated shutdowns of the company's popular Instant Messenger service, known as AIM, in recent days. Also vulnerable to geomagnetic disturbances are satellites, which depend on the Earth's gravity to maintain orbit.
Solar particles can also damage satellites' electronic components.
Still, Berkey believes that both cable and satellite television viewers should be able to count on regularly scheduled programming. However, as a satellite TV user for the past six years, I've noted more terrestrial weather problems . . .