Technologies

Meteor Shower Season Heats Up as Orionids and Taurids Activate

Earth is set to pass through a series of dusty clouds of space debris from Halley’s Comet and others that promise to light up night skies.

August’s Perseid meteor shower may be the most well known of the year, but it’s the last quarter of the year that brings the most shooting-star and fireball action to night skies.

As of this week, both the Orionid and Southern Taurid meteor showers are active. While the Orionids aren’t set to peak until around Oct. 20, they still add some shooting stars to each evening right away. The Taurids, on the other hand, don’t have a very defined peak and are forecast to be visible at a rate of around two per hour over the next several weeks.

Adding to the celestial drama is the Taurids’ reputation for delivering a number of bright fireballs streaking through the sky.

“In 2022, the Earth passed through a swarm of Taurid fireballs,” writes Bob Lunsford for the American Meteor Society. “This year we are further from this swarm but will still encounter some fireball activity.”

The Taurids can be traced to debris from the comet 2P/Encke, while the Orionids are connected to the leavings of the famed Halley’s Comet, which visits the inner solar system only about every 75 years. The celebrity snowball won’t be back until 2061.

Two distinct clouds from Halley’s Comet are responsible for both the Orionids each October and the Eta Aquariids meteor shower in May.

How to see the celestial show

When the Orionids peak between Oct 20 and 22, the conditions should be nearly perfect, especially with the moonless sky on the morning of the 22nd in the hours just before dawn. Most nights, the area near the constellation of Orion the Hunter where the Orionids appear to radiate from will be highest in the sky around 2 a.m. But it may be possible to see the meteors anytime between midnight and dawn.

The Orionids are known for zipping through the sky at relatively high speed and often leaving long trains that can linger for a second or two.

During those peak mornings, the number of Orionid meteors will suddenly increase to between 10 and 20 per hour, but sometimes Earth passes through a particularly dense pocket of debris and those rates shoot up to 50 to 70, rivaling the Perseids.

While it’s worth marking the Orionids’ peak on your calendar, you might be able to catch a handful of meteors and a fireball on any given night over the next several weeks.

If you have at least an hour free on a night with clear skies and a location away from light pollution, all you need to do is find an area with a broad view of the night sky. Allow at least 15 minutes for your eyes to adjust to the darkness and then just relax, lie back and watch.

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You’ll hear seasoned skywatchers talking about orienting yourself to face the radiant of a particular meteor shower. The radiant is the section of the sky from which certain meteors will appear to radiate outward. Meteor showers are usually named for a constellation within that radiant, so the Orionids are named for Orion.

If you can locate Orion in the sky and orient yourself in that direction, it might boost your viewing experience slightly. But the reality is that most amateurs won’t notice a difference. It’s far more important to have dark skies away from light pollution and the widest view of the sky possible. While meteors might originate from a certain radiant, they go all over the sky from that point, so it really doesn’t matter much which way you face.

Plus, there are more than Orionids up there on most nights. There are also the aforementioned Taurids, smaller showers like the Anthelion and even sporadic meteors that aren’t part of defined showers.

So just plan for at least an hour outside, preferably between midnight and dawn, for the best chance to make it through lulls in activity and spotting a few meteors. Be sure to bring all you need to be comfortable that long: Blankets, snacks and drinks are a good idea. Good luck!

Technologies

Top destinations for premium CD yields as September approaches

With the Fed poised to potentially raise rates again, savers can still find attractive CD yields heading into September, with banks like Sallie Mae, Popular Direct, and CIBC offering competitive rates well above peer averages.

August has delivered strong performance for equities, yet those looking to set aside savings this autumn can still earn attractive returns through certificates of deposit. Depositors are closely monitoring the Federal Reserve ahead of its September 15-16 policy meeting. Futures markets tied to the fed funds rate point to about a 65% probability that the central bank will lift its key lending rate by a quarter percentage point, bringing it to a range of 3.75% to 4%. Speaking in Jackson Hole, Wyoming late last week, Fed Chairman Kevin Warsh expressed his concerns over persistent inflation. He remarked that “while this summer’s [inflation] readings were better than expected, they do not tell me that underlying trends have meaningfully improved.” In fact, the July personal consumption expenditures price index climbed at an annual pace of 3.7%, exceeding the Dow Jones consensus forecast by 0.1 percentage point and remaining well above the central bank’s 2% inflation goal. Although rising rates pose challenges for borrowers, they present opportunities for savers who can take advantage of stronger yields on instruments like certificates of deposit. A number of banks, for instance, continue to price their CDs competitively and offer appealing yields as they vie for customer deposits. Recent move Just last week, Sallie Mae raised the annual percentage yield on its one-year CD by five basis points, bringing it to 4.2%. This adjustment places Sallie Mae’s one-year CD rate roughly 25 basis points above the peer median APY of 3.95%, according to Vincent Caintic, analyst at BTIG. One basis point equals 1/100th of a percent, or 0.01%. Other financial institutions also continue to feature attractive rates on their one-year CDs. Popular Direct offers an APY of 4.25% on its 12-month CD, as of Monday afternoon, while CIBC advertises a 4.15% yield. Savers can also discover appealing rates if they’re open to terms beyond 12 months. Synchrony Financial provides a 4.3% APY for a 16-month CD, and Marcus by Goldman Sachs offers a comparable rate on its 18-month product. Happen Bank features an 11-month CD with a 4.2% APY. If you’re considering a CD, carefully evaluate your time horizon and liquidity requirements. “Breaking” a CD prior to maturity results in a penalty in the form of forfeited interest. Savers should also stay mindful of their CD’s expiration date, since banks may automatically roll them into a renewal CD at a lower rate. This site is now part of Versant. By continuing to use this service, you agree to our Terms. You also acknowledge that our updated Privacy Policy applies, including to your existing data. For details on your data rights, click here. On this service, we and our vendors use cookies and other tools (“Cookies”) to store and access information on your device, such as device identifiers, IP address, and your browser type. 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These Cookies and SDKs are used to collect data about your browsing habits, use of the Services, your preferences, and your interaction with advertisements across platforms and devices for the purpose of delivering targeted advertising content, both on our Services and on third party sites. Third-party sites and services also use Targeting Cookies to deliver content, including advertisements relevant to your interests on the Services. If you reject these Cookies or SDKs, you will see less relevant advertising. Data collected under this category through Cookies and SDKs can also be used to select and deliver personalized content, such as news articles and videos. Consent Leg.Interest label

Technologies

Premarket Stock Movers Highlight Nvidia, Robinhood, Novartis and Other Performers

Premarket movers include chipmakers like Nvidia, AMD and Micron which declined over 1% amid rising Treasury yields, energy stocks such as XLE and EOG Resources that surged above 1%, and tech leader Robinhood that gained 2% after a Morgan Stanley upgrade, while Novartis rose 4% on positive clinical trial data and Duolingo jumped 6% following an Evercore ISI upgrade.

Market Insider

Stocks making the biggest moves premarket: Nvidia, Robinhood, Novartis & more

Check out the companies making the biggest moves premarket: Chipmakers — The group fell to start the new month of trading as Treasury yields rose to pressure the broader market. The VanEck Semiconductor ETF (SMH) lost more than 1%. Nvidia , AMD and Micron were also down more than 1%. Energy stocks — Shares rose broadly alongside oil prices, as tensions in the Middle East persist. The State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLE) climbed more than 1%. EOG Resources , Diamondback Energy and Targa Resources advanced more than 1% each. Robinhood Markets — The online brokerage gained more than 2% after a Morgan Stanley upgrade to overweight from equal weight. “HOOD’s expanding platform is turning product velocity into stronger customer economics,” analysts at the bank said. Novartis — Shares gained 4% on positive trial data for the company’s multiple sclerosis drug. Novartis said remibrutinib “significantly” reduced relapse rates in MS patients relative to another treatments. Duolingo — The language education app rose 6% following an upgrade by Evercore ISI to outperform from in line. Evercore analysts cited strong survey data for the company.

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Technologies

Venezuela awards U.S.-supported oil company NABEP 100-year rights to 17 oil fields, White House reports

Venezuelan interim authorities have granted U.S.-backed NABEP 100-year concessions for 17 oil fields with 65 billion barrels of proven reserves, giving the U.S. government preferential purchasing rights and an equity stake, according to the White House.

Venezuelan interim authorities have awarded U.S.-backed North American Blue Energy Partners, or NABEP, 100-year concessions for 17 oil fields, with proven reserves of approximately 65 billion barrels, the White House said on Monday.

NABEP ranks as the second-largest private oil producer in Venezuela. The company has provided the U.S. Department of War’s Office of Strategic Capital with a 35% equity stake in its corporate parent, according to the White House, representing up to “hundreds of billions in value and dividends for the United States.”

President Donald Trump announced on Friday a deal with Caracas that would grant the U.S. majority control over 65 billion barrels, or roughly 20% of the South American country’s vast oil reserves. The U.S. had approximately 46 billion barrels in proven oil reserves as of the end of 2024, according to official figures.

In a fact sheet published Monday evening in Washington, the U.S. government stated it would hold the right to purchase, at production cost, a guaranteed 20% of the off-take from all current and future fields NABEP will operate, as part of an effort to support replenishing the U.S. strategic petroleum reserves.

The U.S. government also retains the “right of first refusal” to purchase the remaining 80% of NABEP’s production, making Washington the prioritized buyer for its energy holdings.

Analysts, however, remained doubtful that this landmark oil agreement could meaningfully increase U.S. energy production or lower gas prices for Americans in the near term. Significant investments are required to extract the valuable resources in Venezuela, whose oil output remains a fraction of its potential due to decades of mismanagement, insufficient investment and sanctions.

NABEP also planned to invest up to $100 billion in new oil infrastructure in Venezuela to expand production, the White House said. Under the agreement, the company is expected to pay $200 billion in royalty and tax payments to Venezuelan governments over the first 25 years.