Technologies
Southern Delta Aquariid meteor shower provides a perfect Perseid preview
This season’s spectacle of shooting stars is just getting started.

The most anticipated night of the year for shooting-star spotting is still a couple of weeks away. It happens on Aug. 11, when the Perseids peak, but this week still offers a welcome warm-up courtesy of the Southern Delta Aquariid meteor shower.
Technically, the Delta Aquariids are visible in the Northern Hemisphere but make for better viewing from southern latitudes, hence the name. The shower peaked on Wednesday night and Thursday morning but itshould still be visible in the night sky for the next few evenings and early mornings.
«The Delta Aquariids are another strong shower best seen from the southern tropics,» says the American Meteor Society.
When viewed from further north, these meteors typically appear at lower rates and closer to the southern horizon. They’re also less bright than the more spectacular Perseids and produce fewer fireballs, but they can still make for a good training run for the more popular shower next month.
As the shower peaks, NASA says, you might expect to see up to 20 meteors per hour. That number will quickly slip to just a handful as the days proceed.
The source of the Delta Aquariids is thought to be the comet 96P Machholz, which swings through the inner solar system roughly every five years, leaving behind a trail of dust and debris. Each July, Earth passes through this cloud of cometary detritus, and tiny pebbles and other little leftovers smack into our atmosphere and put on a brief light show as they burn up.
This year, the shower will be competing a bit with a partial moon in the night sky. Your best bet is to go out in the evening before the moon comes up, and find a spot with a broad view of the sky and no light pollution.
Give your eyes at least 20 minutes to adjust to the dark and then lay back on a blanket our lounge chair, relax and just watch. If you’re in the Northern Hemisphere, best to orient yourself toward the southern horizon.
Set aside at least an hour for a viewing party, and enjoy, keeping in mind that the night skies get only more exciting in the coming weeks!
Follow CNET’s 2021 Space Calendar to stay up to date with all the latest space news this year. You can even add it to your own Google Calendar.
Technologies
Today’s Wordle Hints, Answer and Help for Aug. 13, #1516: Did You Know This Word?
Here are hints and the answer for today’s super-difficult Wordle for Aug. 13, No. 1,516

Looking for the most recent Wordle answer? Click here for today’s Wordle hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.
Today’s Wordle puzzle is a pretty tough one. It describes a drink that most Americans have probably never tried before, and the letters aren’t super common, either. If you need a new starter word, check out our list of which letters show up the most in English words. If you need hints and the answer, read on.
Today’s Wordle hints
Before we show you today’s Wordle answer, we’ll give you some hints. If you don’t want a spoiler, look away now.
Wordle hint No. 1: Repeats
Today’s Wordle answer has no repeated letters.
Wordle hint No. 2: Vowels
Today’s Wordle answer has two vowels.
Wordle hint No. 3: Start letter.
Today’s Wordle answer begins with K.
Wordle hint No. 4:Drink up
Today’s Wordle refers to a beverage.
Wordle hint No. 5: Meaning
Today’s Wordle answer refers to a fermented milk drink with a sour taste, which originates from the Caucasus Mountains.
TODAY’S WORDLE ANSWER
Today’s Wordle answer is KEFIR.
Yesterday’s Wordle answer
Yesterday’s Wordle answer, Aug. 12, No. 1515 was NOMAD.
Recent Wordle answers
Aug. 8, No. 1511: IMBUE
Aug. 9, No. 1512: NASAL
Aug. 10, No. 1513: MINTY
Aug. 11, No. 1514: SOUTH
What’s the best Wordle starting word?
Don’t be afraid to use our tip sheet ranking all the letters in the alphabet by frequency of uses. In short, you want starter words that lean heavy on E, A and R, and don’t contain Z, J and Q.
Some solid starter words to try:
ADIEU
TRAIN
CLOSE
STARE
NOISE
Technologies
Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for Aug. 13, #794
Here are some hints and the answers for the NYT Connections puzzle for Aug. 13, #794.

Looking for the most recent 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, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.
I loved the blue group in today’s NYT Connections puzzle. And if you’re a music lover who’s always found band names interesting, you might, too. Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.
The Times now has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a numeric score and to have the program analyze your answers. Players who are registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, including the number of puzzles completed, win rate, number of times they nabbed a perfect score and their win streak.
Read more: Hints, Tips and Strategies to Help You Win at NYT Connections Every Time
Hints for today’s Connections groups
Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group, to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.
Yellow group hint: Fascinate.
Green group hint: Just a part of something.
Blue group hint: Think band names.
Purple group hint: Shape on a certain Hollywood sidewalk.
Answers for today’s Connections groups
Yellow group: Captivate.
Green group: Excerpt.
Blue group: Member of a girl group.
Purple group: Star ____.
Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words
What are today’s Connections answers?
The yellow words in today’s Connections
The theme is captivate. The four answers are charm, entrance, rivet and thrill.
The green words in today’s Connections
The theme is excerpt. The four answers are clip, extract, passage and quote.
The blue words in today’s Connections
The theme is member of a girl group. The four answers are Bangle, Chick, Go-Go and Supreme.
The purple words in today’s Connections
The theme is star ____. The four answers are board, fish, gate and struck.
Toughest Connections puzzles
We’ve made a note of some of the toughest Connections puzzles so far. Maybe they’ll help you see patterns in future puzzles.
#5: Included «things you can set,» such as mood, record, table and volleyball.
#4: Included «one in a dozen,» such as egg, juror, month and rose.
#3: Included «streets on screen,» such as Elm, Fear, Jump and Sesame.
#2: Included «power ___» such as nap, plant, Ranger and trip.
#1: Included «things that can run,» such as candidate, faucet, mascara and nose.
Technologies
Act Quickly Because the Beats Solo 4 Wireless Headphones Are 50% Off, but Not for Long
If you’re quick, you can snag the Beats Solo 4 headphones for just $100, with several colors to choose from.

If you’re looking at getting some shiny new headphones, and you want a serious audio upgrade, then you could be staring down at a nasty price tag. Thankfully, there can be some amazing deals here and there. Right now, that includes getting a pair of Beats Solo 4 headphones for half-price.
That means you can get these excellent headphones for just $100, and you can choose from a few different colors as well. These are excellent headphones, but the deal won’t last long, so we recommend snapping them up now if you want them.
As far as headphone deals go, you won’t want to miss this one. The Beats Solo 4 headphones have plenty going for them, including a 50-hour battery life, so you won’t need to reach for the charger that often. And when you do need to charge them up, a 10-minute charge gives you 5 hours of listening time. If you prefer to listen with a cable instead of wirelessly, you can do so with the Beats Solo 4, which includes support for high-quality audio.
Hey, did you know? CNET Deals texts are free, easy and save you money.
CNET’s audio expert David Carnoy rated the Beats Solo 4 highly in his full review last year but advised readers to wait for them to drop to $130 or so. The colors on sale for $100 include matte black, pink and blue, and all have custom acoustic architecture and updated drivers to offer the signature sound from Beats. If you’re a fan of bass, you won’t be disappointed. The adjustable earcups and UltraPlush cushions ensure long listening sessions are comfortable.
HEADPHONE DEALS OF THE WEEK
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$300 (save $51)
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Why this deal matters
The Apple-owned Beats brand is iconic, and this is your chance to put a pair of the company’s popular headphones in your tech bag at a huge saving. Getting anything for half the price is an incredible opportunity. Being able to pick your color sweetens the deal, but the limited-time nature of the deal does mean you need to act sooner rather than later.
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