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.

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

Tinder Users Must Start Logging In With Their Faces, Starting Nationwide

The social app now has new US requirements including face identification to help quell longstanding problems with catfishing and more.

US Tinder users will find a new feature when they open up the dating app starting Wednesday: A mandatory Face Check on their phones will be required before they can log into their profiles.

The Face Check step will begin with a new request to record a video of your face, a more casual version of setting up Apple’s Face ID login. Tinder will then run checks comparing your face data to your current profile pics and automatically create a small face badge for your profile. We already know how it works, because Tinder has already launched the feature in Canada and California before the full US rollout.

The technology, powered by FaceTec, will keep biometric data of the user’s face in encrypted form but discard the scanning video for privacy. Tinder will be able to use the face data to detect duplicate accounts, in an effort to cut down on fake profiles and identity theft.

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Tinder’s facial recognition rollout is also made to prevent catfishing, or people pretending to be someone else on Tinder to scam or blackmail them. But that also points to a deeper problem on the rise in dating apps — a growing number of bots, many controlled by AI, are designed to glean personal information or fool users into scammy subscriptions, among other problems.

Tinder’s working against these bots on several fronts, including this Face Check push as well as ID Check, which requires a government-issued ID and other types of photo verification.

The dating app also recently released a feature in June to enable double-dating with your friends, which Tinder reports is especially popular with Gen Z users. If you’re worried about the latest hazards on Tinder, we have guide to safety practices.

A representative for Tinder did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Thursday, Oct. 23

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Oct. 23.

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? Read on. 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: Like some weather, memories and I.P.A.s
Answer: HAZY

5A clue: Statement that’s self-evidently true
Answer: AXIOM

7A clue: Civic automaker
Answer: HONDA

8A clue: What fear leads to, as Yoda told a young Anakin
Answer: ANGER

9A clue: Foxlike
Answer: SLY

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Verbal «lol»
Answer: HAHA

2D clue: Brain signal transmitter
Answer: AXON

3D clue: Hits with a witty comeback
Answer: ZINGS

4D clue: Sing at the top of a mountain, maybe
Answer: YODEL

6D clue: Name of the famous «Queen of Scots»
Answer: MARY

Technologies

Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for Oct. 23 #599

Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle for Oct. 23, No. 599.

Looking for the most recent Strands answer? Click here for our daily Strands hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s NYT Strands puzzle might be Halloween-themed, as the answers are all rather dangerous. Some of them are a bit tough to unscramble, so if you need hints and answers, read on.

I go into depth about the rules for Strands in this story.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: NYT Connections Turns 1: These Are the 5 Toughest Puzzles So Far

Hint for today’s Strands puzzle

Today’s Strands theme is: Please don’t eat me!

If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: Remember Mr. Yuk?

Clue words to unlock in-game hints

Your goal is to find hidden words that fit the puzzle’s theme. If you’re stuck, find any words you can. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words. These are the words I used to get those hints but any words of four or more letters that you find will work:

POND, NOON, NODE, BALE, SOCK, LOVE, LOCK, MOCK, LEER, REEL, GLOVE, DAIS, LEAN, LEAD, REEL

Answers for today’s Strands puzzle

These are the answers that tie into the theme. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, a theme word that reaches from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you have all of them (I originally thought there were always eight but learned that the number can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the nonspangram answers: