Technologies

2022 Geminid Meteor Shower Ramps Up This Weekend as Peak Approaches

Bright cosmic fireballs and even «Earth grazers» are on the calendar for the next week or so.

The Geminid meteor shower, typically the strongest meteor shower of the year, is starting to intensify ahead of its peak next week, and it’s already producing shooting stars and fireballs.

The Geminids have technically been active for a few weeks, but the shower will begin to increase significantly this weekend when it may become possible see around a dozen or more meteors per hour under ideal conditions, according to the American Meteor Society.

It’s a big windup to a far bigger crescendo, when the Geminids can deliver more than a hundred meteors per hour on peak nights. This is also the rare shower that doesn’t require you to wake up at atrocious hours before sunrise for the best viewing experience.

In 2022, the shower is active from Nov. 19 until Dec. 24, peaking on the evening of Dec. 13 into the following morning. The moon will be more than two-thirds full that night, which is a bit of a bummer but certainly not enough to discourage skywatchers from heading outside for a look. If you’re in the Southern Hemisphere you’ll do better to go looking for Geminids later in the night, but fortunately it’s summer for you, requiring fewer warm layers than many watchers above the equator will want to bring.

The Geminids are the rare meteor shower that don’t seem to be traced to an active comet that makes intermittent visits to the inner solar system spaced out by several years or longer. Instead, the source seems to be the asteroid 3200 Phaethon, which astronomers think may be an extinct comet or new kind of object called a «rock comet,» according to NASA.

Whatever it is, the pieces of debris and detritus that have broken away from Phaethon over the years form dusty clouds that are more dense than what most comets leave behind. This explains why the Geminids are consistently one of the stronger annual showers. Each December we drift through the most dense part of this cloud and hundreds or thousands of bits roughly the size of a pebble burn up as they collide with our upper atmosphere.

For the best chance of catching as many Geminids as possible, the most important thing to do is to find an observing spot untainted by light pollution that has a broad view of the sky, which is hopefully cloudless. While it’s best to mark the peak night on your calendar, it’s possible to catch a few meteors an hour right now, especially as other showers like the Leonids and Taurids are still active.

If the moon is up, you can try to orient yourself so it’s at your back as much as possible.

Once you’ve got the ideal spot, lay back, relax and give your eyes time to adjust. Then just watch. Plan for at least an hour for the whole experience as there are always lulls in activity. On the peak night, if you’re lucky with ideal conditions, you might see up to 150 meteors in an hour.

Your best chance to see that many is probably around 2 a.m. when the radiant that the Geminids appear to radiate outward from (in the direction of the constellation Gemini, hence the name) is highest in the sky. That said, the radiant is above the horizon earlier in the evening as mentioned earlier, and these more friendly hours are also the best time to see a bright «earth-grazer,» which is nickname for a brilliant fireball that appears to flame out spectacularly just above the horizon.

However you do it, be sure to dress appropriately and bring refreshments so you aren’t tempted to head back inside and ruin your night vision. Happy spotting!

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for Nov. 24, #897

Today’s Connections puzzle is kind of tough. Here are hints, answers and help for Nov. 24, #897.

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.

Today’s NYT Connections puzzle is kind of tough. The purple category once again wants you to find hidden words inside other words. If you need help sorting the words into groups, you’re in the right place. 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: Like an air fryer.

Green group hint: In your vehicle.

Blue group hint: Take out your laptops, dump out your water.

Purple group hint: Like a rainbow.

Answers for today’s Connections groups

Yellow group: Small kitchen appliances.

Green group: Features of a car’s center console.

Blue group: Seen while going through airport security.

Purple group: Ending in colors.

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 small kitchen appliances. The four answers are blender, microwave, rice cooker and toaster.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is features of a car’s center console. The four answers are air conditioner, cup holder, radio and shifter.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is seen while going through airport security. The four answers are bin, carry-on, metal detector and X-ray.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is ending in colors. The four answers are infrared, marigold, stingray and ultraviolet.

Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.

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

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for Nov. 24, #427

Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Nov. 24, No. 427.

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.

Music lovers, today’s Connections: Sports Edition has a fun green category for you. You’ll recognize some familiar phrases in the grid, I think. 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: Not long pants.

Green group hint: Sing out.

Blue group hint: Gridiron guys who share a name.

Purple group hint: Like a law.

Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Yellow group: Types of shorts.

Green group: Popular arena/stadium songs.

Blue group: Football Drews.

Purple group: ____ rule.

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 types of shorts. The four answers are basketball, bike, compression and gym.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is popular arena/stadium songs. The four answers are Eye of the Tiger, Jump Around, Sandstorm and Thunderstruck.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is football Drews. The four answers are Bledsoe, Brees, Lock and Pearson.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is ____ rule. The four answers are infield fly, mercy, tuck and unwritten.

Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Monday, Nov. 24

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Nov. 24.

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? Two down might be my favorite clue, and answer, this puzzle has ever offered. Read on for all of 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.