Technologies

How to Watch a Stadium-Size ‘Potentially Hazardous’ Asteroid Zip by Earth Today

Don’t worry, it doesn’t pose any actual threat.

A space rock measuring a fifth of a mile across (about a third of a kilometer) is set to fly by Earth on Monday, and one online observatory is offering a close-up look.

The asteroid named 1999 VF22 will officially be nearest to our planet at 11:54 p.m. PT, when it zips past at a distance over 3.3 million miles (5.4 million kilometers), its closest pass in over a century. For comparison, our moon orbits at less than 250,000 miles (400,000 kilometers) away most of the time.

That means this aircraft carrier-sized asteroid poses absolutely no threat to any person or planet you know. But it is still considered «potentially hazardous» by NASA’s definition. This label doesn’t take into account any actual degree of risk or threat to our world. Basically, anything coming closer than 4.6 million miles that’s big enough to have a brightness of at least magnitude 22 gets tagged «potentially hazardous.»

The size of 1999 VF22 also means astronomers will be able to study it using radar and telescopes. The Virtual Telescope Project, based in Rome, will be sharing its observations online Monday.

NASA Solar System Ambassador Eddie Irizarry also writes for EarthSky that «you can use a (large) backyard telescope to watch it slide past.»

As the name suggests, 1999 VF22 was originally discovered in 1999, by the Catalina Sky Survey in Arizona.

The online watch party starts at 4 p.m. PT and you can join below. If you miss it this time around, it will be a long wait before this particular asteroid returns for a slightly closer pass, in 2150.

Technologies

‘Squid Game’ on Fortnite: Learn All About the New Skins and Items

The super popular Netflix series has landed on the super popular third-person shooter.

The brutal, dystopian thriller Squid Game is one of the most popular shows Netflix has ever produced, spawning a cottage industry of pop culture merchandise and endless memes. Now the brightly colored styles of Squid Game are colliding with the incredibly popular online fighting game Fortnite.

As the third season of Squid Games airs on Netflix, learn all about the Squid Game skins, wraps, emotes and back bling that have been added to Fortnite.

What is Squid Game adding to Fortnite?

A new island, Squid Grounds, has been added to the Fortnite battle royale mode, Reload.
Squid Game skins items like back bling, wraps and emotes have also arrived on Fortnite.
Squid Game-themed skins in the shop include the red-clad guards and green-clad competitors.
«You’ll recognize plenty of returning weaponry for the Squid Grounds update, though the Glider and Boogie Bomb are making their first-ever appearance in Reload,» a representative for Fortnite promises in the caption for the YouTube trailer showing off the game additions.

And on Fortnite.com, the game goes into a bit more detail.

«Find familiar playground locations from the games, complete with staged town sets and a hollowed-out labyrinth cutting underneath the island’s rolling hills,» the site says. «You can even play Red Light, Green Light at your own risk.»

How to win playing Fortnite Squid Game

After the new map, skins, emotes and other items, there’s still more to come.

Squid Grounds Console Cash Cups, which are Battle Royale Duos tournaments, will be available on July 18, July 25 and Aug. 1,
The games are open to players on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch 2 and Nintendo Switch.
Top performers earn cash prizes.

How much do Squid Game skins in Fortnite cost?

Squid Game game focuses on people so far in debt they must risk their lives. Some Fortnite players are joking about that similarity, because playing with the new skins can be pricey.

The Squid Game main bundle currently costs 3,000 V-Bucks (the game’s currency), although it shows that it has been marked down from 15,000 V-Bucks. Fortnite.com says that the bundle includes the Games Guard outfit, the Ddakji Defender outfit, the Green Light Guardian, Marble Maven, Dalgona Destroyer, Tug of War Titan, Pentathlon Perfector, Jegi Juggler, Flying Stone Fighter, Gong-gi Great, Games Manager outfit and Glass Bridge Survivor outfit.
The Squid Accessories bundle currently costs 700 V-Bucks, although it also shows that it has been marked down, this time from 1,600 V-Bucks. The bundle includes the Lil’ Prized Piggy Bank emote, Delicious Dalgona back bling, Ddakji Box back bling and Squid Shapes wrap.
Guard and manager skins are both currently selling for 1,500 V-Bucks each, and the male and female player skins cost 1,200 V-Bucks each. Maybe you can find a deadly tournament to enter to win enough … oh, wait.

Fortnite fans seem excited about the new additions regardless.

«The fact that we’re getting elimination-based gaming inside elimination-based gaming is peak 2025 meta,» said one X user.

Another user said they’d prefer to see Squid Game take a role in the standard battle royale Fortnite game.

«This seems like a good idea, but why is Squid Game in Reload and not the Battle Royale game mode?» they asked on X. «I don’t know a lot of people who play Reload, me including [sic]. The last time I played Reload was when the game mode first came out.»

Another person suggested this might be because the Battle Royale season theme — superheroes — doesn’t fit with Squid Game.

Technologies

These JLab Bluetooth Headphones Are Almost Back to Their Lowest-Ever Price for July 4th

At just $68, these top-rated wireless headphones are a bargain no matter how you slice it.

Picking up a new pair of wireless headphones is always exciting, especially when you can get them at a great price. We’re huge fans of noise-canceling headphones because they’re great at stopping the outside world from getting in the way of your aural entertainment.

One brand we’re always keen to recommend is JLab, and right now you can pick up the JLab JBuds Lux ANC headphones for just $68 when you enter the discount code J706N4OD003T at checkout. This Fourth of July deal won’t hang around forever, though, so make sure to get your order in while it’s still live.

Four different colors are available for you to choose from, including graphite, cloud white, mauve and sage. Spoiler, you should choose cloud white — they’re gorgeous.

Hey, did you know? CNET Deals texts are free, easy and save you money.

These over-ear headphones offer noise cancellation, have 40mm drivers to deliver solid depth and clarity for the price and can deliver up to 70 hours of playback on a single charge. There’s also an awareness mode when you need to be more alert in your surroundings. And with noise-canceling mics, you’ll also be able to use these during calls without background disturbances interrupting you.

Not really what you’re looking for? That’s okay, we have a whole roundup of the top deals on headphones and earbuds that are live right now. Check out our list of the best Fourth of July tech deals for some time-limited discounts, too.

HEADPHONE DEALS OF THE WEEK

Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless Noise Cancelling Over-Ear Headphones (Navy):

$298 (save $50)
Soundcore Life Q20 Hybrid Active Noise Cancelling Headphones (Black):

$40 (save $20)
Beats Studio Pro Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones (Black):

$300 (save $51)
Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless ANC Over-Ear Headphones (Black):

$299 (save $151)
Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2e ANC Over-Ear Headphones (Black):

$220 (save $180)

Deals are selected by the CNET Group commerce team, and may be unrelated to this article.

Why this deal matters

A great pair of wireless headphones can really make working in a noisy office more tolerable. The same can be said for commuting on public transit or just walking around a busy city, too. At this discounted price, you can’t go wrong here, especially considering the support for advanced features like ANC.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Wednesday, July 2

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for July 2.

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.

Today’s Mini Crossword wasn’t too tough, although there are a couple of different ways to go on some of the clues. Need the answers? Read on. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

The Mini Crossword is just one of many games in the Times’ games collection. 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.