Technologies

Aurora Borealis May Hit These 16 States Over the Next 2 Days

Tuesday night’s aurora is expected to be stronger than Wednesday’s.

Alongside fireworks and drone shows, people will have another excuse to look up at the sky this week, at least in select parts of the US. The sun has graced Earth with another round of solar material, which will interact with our atmosphere and make sections of the sky glow. Of course, we’re talking about the aurora borealis, and it’ll be visible in 16 states on Tuesday and Wednesday night.

Of the two days, Tuesday night into Wednesday morning will be your best shot. The Space Weather Prediction Center is forecasting a Kp 5 magnetic storm that’s scheduled to hit over six hours starting late Monday evening. The K-Index measures the horizontal impact of geomagnetic storms, and a Kp 5 rating results in what the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration calls a «moderate» aurora.

Things will calm down a bit Wednesday night going into Thursday morning, with the aurora pulling back a little and being less visible, unless you’re on the northern border with Canada. NOAA is forecasting a Kp 4 magnetic storm that night.

Which states could see the aurora borealis?

According to the Space Weather Prediction Center, Tuesday night’s aurora will be visible in Alaska, Washington state, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, North and South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, and the northernmost sections of New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and most of Maine.

Alaska and Canada will have the best views by a wide margin, with the entire state of Alaska getting coverage. Technically, there will also be a slice of Oregon, putting the full number at 16, but unless you live on the northeastern tip, you likely won’t see anything.

Much like with the Earth’s weather, space weather prediction can be hit or miss. So if you’re in any of the above states, it’s worth taking a look if you’re up that late. The magnetic storm may be slightly stronger or weaker than forecast, which will affect how far south the northern lights reach. This event won’t be as strong as the epic show we saw in May 2024.

Tips on viewing the northern lights

The standard space viewing tips all apply here. You’ll get a better view if you get away from the city and suburbs to avoid light pollution. Weather will play a role as well, since any clouds will obfuscate the view. If you attempt to photograph the aurora, we recommend using long exposure times to give your camera more time to soak in the light.

Other than that, you’ll want to look toward the northern horizon to give yourself the best chance at a good view, since (as you may’ve guessed) that’s where the northern lights originate.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Tuesday, April 7

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for April 7.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? Read on for all the answers. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Informative commercial, for short
Answer: PSA

4A clue: Something you trace to draw a Thanksgiving turkey
Answer: HAND

5A clue: ___ Johnson, former Prime Minister of the U.K.
Answer: BORIS

6A clue: Opposite of include
Answer: OMIT

7A clue: Crosses (out)
Answer: XES

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: City with the Notre-Dame Cathedral
Answer: PARIS

2D clue: Bad mood
Answer: SNIT

3D clue: About eight minutes of the average half-hour sitcom
Answer: ADS

4D clue: Remote worker’s office, perhaps
Answer: HOME

5D clue: Word that can follow each group of circled letters (and hints at its shape)
Answer: BOX

Technologies

NASA’s Artemis II Breaks Record With Trip Around The Moon

Technologies

In Honor of the Artemis II Mission, Explore the Moon in Fortnite Now

You might not be able to see the moon the way the Artemis II team is, but there’s an educational Fortnite simulation that will get you onto the celestial body’s surface.

You may not be able to explore the vast majesty of space in the same way that the four-person crew of the Artemis II is, but you can still get an up-close-and-personal view of the moon… in Fortnite, at least.

While you may not be able to slingshot around Earth’s own lunar body, space enthusiasts can see a little bit of what the Artemis II crew is seeing by spending time on the Lunar Horizons Fortnite map right now. The map is a creative collaboration between Fortnite’s creator, Epic Games, and the European Space Agency. Lunar Horizons was released in 2024 after extensive testing and play from ESA trainee astronauts.

If you’re looking to learn more about our own orbiting body, the Lunar Horizons map is an educational simulation of the surface of the moon’s South Pole.

It blends game mechanics with learning, as players get to build up their own sterile lunar habitat bases, interact with ESA astronauts and roll around with robotic rovers as they discover informative plaques that contain information about the moon and international space agencies. There are still dangers to navigate, too — a solar storm may strike when you least expect it.

If you’re interested in exploring the moon, we’ve got all the information you need to join in on the Fortnite fun below. And if you’re looking for a more serious livestream during this momentous human achievement, tune into NASA’s feed here.

How to join the Moon Fortnite island while you follow the Artemis II mission

The Lunar Horizons Fortnite map is a great educational simulation that shares details about ESA’s work and catalogs information about humanity’s lunar research.

These three simple steps will get you up and running (or more accurately, taking slow leaps and bounds) on the surface of the Lunar Horizons Fortnite map:

Download Fortnite

If you haven’t played Fortnite before, but you want to check out this limited-time event, you’ll have to download the game. If you’re on PC, you can download Fortnite for free from the Epic Games Store. Console players can navigate the PlayStation Store, Microsoft Store or Nintendo eShop in order to download Fortnite on their devices.

Navigate the in-game menus until you reach the Search button

Once you’re in the game, scroll down past the different official Fortnite game modes and the Discover tab until you find the Search button.

Input the Lunar Horizons island code

In the search bar, you can input a map’s name or its distinct search code in order to find it in the map directory. You can search for the Lunar Horizons map or input the code 3207-0960-6428 to explore this map in time.

Correction, 3:35 p.m. PT: This story initially was in error about the features available in the Lunar Horizons map. There is no Artemis II-specific mission in Fortnite. Rather, the Lunar Horizons map is an educational simulation of part of the moon’s surface.