Technologies

Saturn’s Pulling a Stunt This Weekend That Hasn’t Happened Since 2009: How to Watch

As Saturn and Earth line up, Saturn’s iconic rings will appear to vanish.

It’s not every day that a prominent feature of our solar system disappears, but that’s precisely what will happen with Saturn. Over the weekend, Saturn’s gorgeous rings will nearly vanish from sight. No worries, they’ll be back in a couple of weeks.

This phenomenon is caused by an optical illusion that occurs when the stars line up. Saturn is tilted at 26.73 degrees on its orbit, while Earth is very close to that at a 23.5-degree tilt. When the two planets line up just right, the rings of Saturn are almost entirely horizontal from the perspective of Earth, causing them to mostly vanish.

Read more: Best camera to buy in 2025

«As Saturn and the Earth travel around the sun, we will periodically be in a position where those rings are seen edge on,» explains Dr. Shannon Schmoll, director of the Abrams Planetarium at Michigan State University. «Because the rings are so thin, if we look at it edge-on, we can’t see (the rings).»

So, anyone looking up at the sky this weekend will likely note that the planet won’t look very Saturn-like without its trademark rings. However, if you’re using a powerful telescope, the rings will still be visible. It’ll appear as though a thin line is running through the middle of Saturn, as shown in the graphic above.

How do Saturn’s rings disappear?

The tilt of Saturn and Earth is the main thing. It’s like looking at a piece of paper. If you hold it horizontally up to eye level, it’ll be practically invisible. Paper is an apt analogy here because Saturn’s rings are thinner than many think.

«The rings of Saturn are incredibly thin,» Schmoll says. «Even the thickest estimates put the rings at 1 kilometer (about half a mile). Saturn’s diameter is over 116,000 km, so comparatively that is VERY thin.»

According to NASA, Saturn’s rings average about 30 feet in height across the entire length of the ring. That means when viewed from the side at a distance of about 1.5 million kilometers (983,000 miles), you might as well be looking at a sheet of paper from the side.

The rings are still technically visible. Folks with higher-powered telescopes may be able to see the line jutting across Saturn. However, those with low-power telescopes may not see it, making Saturn look naked.

When will the rings return?

The peak of this little celestial dance will occur over the weekend. So, technically, the rings have already been like this for a week or two and will continue to be difficult to see going into April. By then, Saturn’s orbit will begin to tilt the rings again, and they will slowly come back into view over the next month or two.

«Technically, the ring plane crossing is only for a moment when it’s fully edge on,» said Schmoll. «For powerful telescopes, we can see the rings again quickly. For most backyard telescopes, though, you have to wait a few months before you can see them again»

How rare is this event?

According to NASA, this happens about every 13 to 15 years on average. It’s not an exact science, though, as prior events occurred in 1980, 1995 and 2009.

«Saturn’s orbit is just under 30 years, so there are two times in a Saturn orbit when that angle is just right,» Dr. Schmoll says. «Sometimes it happens when Saturn is on the opposite side of the sun from us, which makes it hard to see because the sun gets in the way.»

The next one is predicted to come in 2038 or 2039, Schmoll says, and it should be «a lot easier to spot» as well.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Wednesday, March 11

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for March 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? I thought it was a bit tricky. 1-Down is one of those old-fashioned comic-book sounds that I had to remember how to spell correctly. 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: Study of the human mind, informally
Answer: PSYCH

6A clue: Common fixture in a gym bathroom
Answer: SCALE

7A clue: Kinda boring
Answer: HOHUM

8A clue: Like a commenter without a username, for short
Answer: ANON

9A clue: «All good between us?»
Answer: WEOK

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Old-fashioned «Yeah, right!»
Answer: PSHAW

2D clue: Coffeehouse pastry
Answer: SCONE

3D clue: Google alternative
Answer: YAHOO

4D clue: Sound of a dull thump
Answer: CLUNK

5D clue: Line on the bottom of a pant leg
Answer: HEM

Technologies

OnePlus and Oppo to Raise Smartphone Prices as Memory Costs Climb

Oppo says rising costs for key phone components will trigger price adjustments on some devices starting March 16.

Chinese smartphone-makers OnePlus and Oppo plan to raise prices on some existing models starting next week, according to a 9to5Google report citing GizmoChina and a notice posted on Oppo’s China online store.

In its notice, Oppo said it would adjust pricing after evaluating rising costs for several key components used in its mobile phones. The changes are expected to take effect around March 16 and will affect some of the company’s more affordable smartphones, as well as some OnePlus models.

Flagship devices — like those in the Find and Reno series — are not expected to be affected for now. The reported adjustments currently appear to be limited to China.

The move highlights growing pressure across the smartphone supply chain as component costs climb. Analysts say prices for memory and storage chips used in phones have been rising in recent months as demand surges across the tech industry.

Much of the chip demand is coming from the rapid buildout of AI data centers, which rely on large amounts of high-performance memory.

That pressure isn’t limited to Oppo and OnePlus. Analysts say smartphone brands across the industry are facing rising component costs amid increased demand for memory chips.

As manufacturers shift production toward higher-margin memory used in AI servers, supply for consumer electronics such as smartphones and laptops can tighten.

If component costs continue to rise, manufacturers may face difficult choices later this year, including raising retail prices or adjusting device specifications to offset higher manufacturing costs.

OnePlus and Oppo didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Technologies

Harvard Business Review Study Finds ‘AI Brain Fry’ Is Leaving Workers Mentally Fatigued

Study participants reported increased mental fatigue while using AI tools, but less burnout overall.

Workers who excessively use AI agents and tools at work are at increased risk of mental fatigue, according to a recent Harvard Business Review study. In certain industries, more than 25% of hired professionals report increased mental strain due to their role in AI oversight — though these professionals also generally experienced less burnout than peers who aren’t using AI.

This phenomenon — which the researchers refer to as «AI brain fry» — is described as a «‘buzzing’ feeling or a mental fog» that caused study participants to develop headaches and difficulty focusing and making decisions. Individuals pointed to being overwhelmed by large amounts of information and to frequent task switching as the reasons for these feelings.

Studied individuals experienced more brain fry when they utilized AI agents to manage a workload beyond their own cognitive capacity. When participants used AI to replace mundane, repetitive tasks, managing the growing number of tools led to increased mental fatigue.

Crucially, the study found that fewer individuals who used these AI agents reported workplace burnout.

The researchers predict that this is because burnout testing assesses emotional and physical distress. In contrast, they report, acute mental fatigue «is caused by marshalling attention, working memory and executive control beyond the limited capacity of these systems.»

These are the processes that are taxed when study participants use multiple AI tools in their workflow, according to the researchers.

The Harvard study identifies several business costs incurred by workers suffering from AI brain fry. The foremost consequence is that these individuals may end up making lower-quality decisions. «Workers in [the] study who endorsed AI brain fry experience 33% more decision fatigue than those who did not,» the study reports. Workers who report AI brain fry were also more likely to self-report making both minor and major errors at their jobs.

Another recent Harvard Business Review study similarly found that employees who use AI tools «worked at a faster pace, took on a broader scope of tasks and extended work into more hours of the day,» but warned that «workload creep can in turn lead to cognitive fatigue, burnout and weakened decision-making.»