Technologies

How to See the Full Harvest Supermoon Rise This Week

The last supermoon of 2023 is one of the best-known full moons of the year, helping anyone in the Northern Hemisphere say goodbye to summer.

Traditionally, the full moon that takes place nearest to the northern autumn equinox has been known as the harvest moon in Europe and North America. For centuries the bright moon’s light was welcomed as it helped farmers continue to harvest their bounty beyond sunset.

In 2023, the harvest moon may be up to 30% brighter because this particular full moon is also a supermoon, or as astronomers put it more scientifically (and arguably more poetically), at perigee syzygy. No matter what you call it, this is when the moon is full and also at its closest point to Earth in its oval-shaped orbit.

The result is a full moon that can appear as much as 15% larger in the sky than a typical full moon, reflecting around an additional third more light from the sun into the night sky.

This year we get four supermoons in succession in only three months, starting with one in early July, followed by two in August and ending with this supermoon on Friday, Sept. 29. It’s actually not that unusual for supermoons to come all in a row like this. It will happen again next year with four supermoons between August and November.

Supermoon shots from across the globe (pictures)

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How to see it

A moon at perigee syzygy is one of the easiest and most convenient celestial events to experience first hand. In most cases, it will be as simple as venturing outside around sunset and turning your back to the setting sun. The full moon will be rising to the east, 180 degrees in the opposite direction, although the exact moment depends on your location and the local topography.

Not only does this twilight moment typically fall at a part of the day that’s a little less hectic and more comfortable, temperature-wise, it’s also the best time to see a supermoon in the night sky. This is due to something called the «moon illusion,» which causes the full moon to appear larger when it is closer to the horizon.

So combine the effect of the moon illusion with the size boost of perigee syzygy, and the super harvest moon this Friday is set to be pretty spectacular as it rises shortly after sunset.

A supermoon behind the San Francisco skyline

Plus, depending what’s happening in the atmosphere near you, moonrise is the time when the full moon is most likely to be colorful. Particulates in the air can make the moon appear more red or orange, and those are likely to linger lower in atmosphere, meaning the moon is more colorful closer to the horizon. Unfortunately, a colorful moon can also mean that there’s more smog, smoke, dust or other unpleasant things in your air.

More expert skywatchers can also try to spot three planets in the sky with the moon on Friday — Jupiter, Saturn and Mercury. The bright supermoon will make them a bit harder to find, but apps like Stellarium paired with binoculars or a telescope can help.

So book some time as the sun gets low in the sky Friday around dinner time. Head outside and watch it set in the west and then flip around to watch the biggest moon anyone on Earth will see until next August.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Sunday, Jan. 25

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Jan. 25.

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 might help to be a Scrabble player. 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: Some breakfast drinks, for short
Answer: OJS

4A clue: Ready for business
Answer: OPEN

5A clue: Information gathered by a spy
Answer: INTEL

6A clue: Highest-scoring Scrabble word with four tiles (22)
Answer: QUIZ

7A clue: Nine-digit ID
Answer: SSN

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Agree to receive promotional emails, say
Answer: OPTIN

2D clue: Second-highest-scoring Scrabble word with four tiles (20)
Answer: JEEZ

3D clue: Sketch comedy show since ’75
Answer: SNL

4D clue: Burden
Answer: ONUS

5D clue: Geniuses have high ones
Answer: IQS

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Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for Jan. 25, #489

Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Jan. 25, No. 489.

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 grid started with a funny message: SUPER BOWL ORR BUST. 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: Bummer!

Green group hint: Add three letters.

Blue group hint: Noted hockey players.

Purple group hint: Not the moon, but …

Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Yellow group: Disappointment.

Green group: Sports, with «-ing.»

Blue group: Hall of Fame NHL defensemen.

Purple group: ____ star(s)

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 disappointment. The four answers are bust, dud, failure and flop.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is sports, with «-ing.» The four answers are bowl, box, curl and surf.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is Hall of Fame NHL defensemen. The four answers are Bourque, Coffey, Leetch and Orr.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is ____ star(s). The four answers are all, Chicago, Dallas and super.

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

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for Jan. 25 #959

Here are some hints and the answers for the NYT Connections puzzle for Jan. 25, No. 959

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.

Really, New York Times? The paper noted for being rather sedate actually put the words SUB and DOM next to each other in today’s NYT Connections puzzle. Of course, they didn’t mean what they could have meant, and they did not end up in the same category, but still. Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.

The Times 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 understudy.

Green group hint: Delete is another one.

Blue group hint: Like penne.

Purple group hint: At the end of words.