Technologies

A 4-Planet Parade Is Coming This Month. Here’s How to View It

A cosmic lineup is coming: Mercury, Mars, Jupiter and Neptune will shine side by side in the night sky.

Space activity is picking up in April with two meteor showers and the historic launch of Artemis II, which finally sent humans back to the moon and is due to return home on Friday. Stargazers looking for more to do during the first full month of spring have a few more things coming, including a minor planet parade where four planets are set to be in the sky at the same time.

The small parade starts around April 16 and lasts until nearly the end of the month. It features Mercury, Mars, Jupiter and Neptune. All four planets are relatively close to one another on the eastern horizon just before sunrise each day. Those planning to view the parade will need to stay up almost all night or wake up very early to see it.

The best time to view it depends on where you are. If you’re at a higher elevation, the best time is just before 6 a.m. local time. People at sea level will have to wait for the planets to come up above the horizon just after 6 a.m. local time, and they’ll be swiftly chased by the sun, giving viewers a narrow window to view all four planets before sunrise.

Since sunrise is dependent on location, you may have as long as 40 minutes or as little as 20 to see all four planets. You’ll want to check the sunrise times in your area to see if you have enough time to spot all four planets before the sun comes up.

The proximity to the sun and the narrow window make April’s planet parade one of the more difficult ones to see, according to Geza Gyuk, senior director of astronomy at Chicago’s Adler Planetarium.

«Mercury is, as always, close to the sun and hard to see,» Gyuk told me. «Since Mars and Saturn will be close to Mercury, they will also be hard to see without a very low eastern horizon.»

April’s planet parade gets easier to see as the days go on, and attempts made after April 20 are likely to be more successful than those made before. April 18 to 24 are the best days to try. Before those dates, Saturn is a bit close to the sun and rises late over the horizon, and after them, Mercury starts to drift precariously close to the sun.

Get out (or borrow) a telescope

Skygazers need a telescope at a minimum to see all four planets, since Neptune is not visible to the naked eye.

Even using a telescope, Gyuk says it takes some skill to pick out Neptune in the night sky. He also recommends taking a pair of binoculars, since it’ll make the other three planets easier to see, but warns skygazers to be careful not to look directly at the sun while using them.

The usual stargazing rules apply: You’ll have better luck away from light pollution, so leave the city and suburbs to get the best view.

The chance to see four planets in the sky at the same time, and so close together, isn’t terribly common. Gyuk says that astronomers tend not to refer to these events as planet parades — instead calling them «planetary alignments» — but also rarely pass up the opportunity to view planets in unique configurations like this.

«I always try to catch a glimpse at least whenever this sort of planetary alignment occurs,» Gyuk said. «It is a thrill to me.»

Technologies

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Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for April 11, #565

Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for April 11 No. 565.

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

Today’s Connections: Sports Edition was a fun one for me, a Minnesotan. If you’re struggling with today’s puzzle but still want to solve it, read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by The Times. It doesn’t appear in the NYT Games app, but it does in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can play it for free online.

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Nicknames for ball clubs.

Green group hint: Bruins.

Blue group hint: Land of 10,000 Lakes.

Purple group hint: Hidden anatomy words.

Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Yellow group: MLB teams, colloquially.

Green group: UCLA.

Blue group: Can follow Minnesota.

Purple group: Starts with part of the body.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is MLB teams, colloquially. The four answers are D-Backs, Jays, Phils and Sox.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is UCLA. The four answers are Angeles, California, Los and University.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is can follow Minnesota. The four answers are Lynx, United, Vikings and Wild.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is starts with part of the body. The four answers are army, earthquakes, legacy and Liverpool.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Saturday, April 11

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for April 11.

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? It’s the longest of the week, the Saturday edition. 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.