What are Sun Outages?

Twice a year, you may experience some degree of television interference due to "sun outages." Such outages are caused by a phenomenon called a “solar satellite interference." These brief outages occur when the sun passes directly behind satellites transmitting cable signals. When the sun is aligned with a satellite, solar radiation, an energy the sun is emitting, interferes with the satellite’s signal and thus causes a brief signal outage.

When do sun outages happen and how long they last?

Sun outages occur every year, in Fall and Spring, and last approximately about a week each time. This Spring, sun outages are expected between March 3rd and March 12th 2020. The issues only last for a brief time - from 5 minutes, up to 45 minutes.

What kind of outage/interference can I expect?

During the sun outage, you may experience a pixelated picture, picture freezes, or audio distortions for a brief period of time.

How can I tell if it's caused by a sun outage or something’s wrong with my cable?

The sun outage happens only during the day (no sun, no interference) and is brief, lasting for a few minutes—from 5 minutes, up to 45 minutes.

What should I do during a sun outage?

MU apologizes for any inconvenience a sun outage may cause. However, solar satellite interference is out of our control. Please be patient and everything will get back to normal.