Connect with us

Technologies

Solar Eclipse for Saturday Sunrise Will Bring ‘Pac-Man Sun’: How to Watch

A partial solar eclipse on March 29 will be visible from parts of North America. Here’s how to safely view the cosmic event, even if you can’t be there in person.

Hot on the tail of the «blood moon» total lunar eclipse earlier this month comes a rise-and-shine special: a partial solar eclipse that will be visible at sunrise on March 29 in some parts of the US. You don’t have to be in the eclipse path to join the solar festivities. Livestreams will bring the action onto your screen as the moon takes a dramatic bite out of the sun.

What is a partial solar eclipse?

A solar eclipse is a shadow dance involving the sun, Earth and moon. The moon passes before the sun, blocking the star and casting a shadow on our planet. If the weather permits, people in the shadow’s path can see the eclipse.

The sun-moon-Earth alignment isn’t perfect on March 29, though, so we will get only a partial eclipse that will look like a dark bite taken from a glowing cookie. «The central part of the moon’s shadow, where the sun would appear completely blocked, misses Earth, so no one will be able to see a total solar eclipse this time,» NASA said in an explainer.

Don’t write this one off because it’s «just» a partial eclipse. 

«It should be a photogenic eclipse,» says Emily Rice, associate professor of astrophysics at the Macaulay Honors College of the City University of New York. 

Rice says to protect your camera with a solar filter and get ready to capture some scenery. 

«The sun will be low in the sky for most observers, so you can get trees, buildings or other landscape features in a shot with the Pac-Man sun,» she says.

Where can I see the solar eclipse?

Eclipse viewers in parts of North America, Africa, Asia and Europe will be able to catch at least some of the show. Greenland, Iceland and some small regions of South America are also in the path, as are wide areas of the Atlantic and Arctic oceans. The northeastern US is the only part of the country that will be in the eclipse path.  

NASA’s eclipse map shows where the eclipse will be visible. The curved yellow lines indicate the maximum percentage of the sun that will be covered. The green lines indicate time. The looping orange lines indicate sunrise and sunset. If that’s confusing, just check your location with Timeanddate.com for details on timing and coverage.

When is the solar eclipse?

Viewers in the northeastern US should put the coffee pot on an automatic timer. The eclipse will already be in process at sunrise. That’s 6:55 a.m. ET for Baltimore, 6:31 a.m. for Boston and 6:44 a.m. for New York City. Washington, DC. should be on eclipse lookout starting at 6:56 a.m. The eclipse will be at its maximum very close to sunrise in these locations. 

Places like Baltimore will get to see only a little bit of shadow for a few minutes, so it’s a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it situation. 

Portland, Maine, residents will have one of the best views in the US. Partial viewing begins at 6:27 a.m. with maximum at 6:30 a.m. and the end of the eclipse coming at 7:10 a.m. You’ll get to see 64% coverage of the sun, according to NASA. Compare that with Baltimore’s 3%. 

Eclipse fans in other parts of the world won’t have to get up so early. Dublin witnesses the eclipse late morning, while Paris will see the eclipse at maximum right around noon local time.

Livestream the solar eclipse

Most of the US will be out of luck when it comes to seeing the eclipse in person, but that doesn’t mean you have to miss out on the fun. Timeanddate.com is running a livestream so anyone can enjoy the view. It starts bright and early at 5:30 a.m. ET on March 29.

The Royal Observatory Greenwich in the UK goes live with its eclipse coverage at 6 a.m. ET. 

Protect your eyes during a solar eclipse

The lunar eclipse earlier in March didn’t require fancy eyewear, but the solar eclipse does. Eye safety is key. 

«Because the sun is never completely covered, observers must use proper eye protection at all times while watching this eclipse,» NASA cautions.

That means it’s time to dig out your protective solar eclipse eyewear. 

«The upcoming partial eclipse is why I encourage people to keep their ‘eclipse» glasses’ — which would more accurately be called ‘sun viewers’ because they can be used to observe the sun any time,» Rice says. Here’s how to tell if your glasses are safe.

No glasses? No problem. Make a pinhole projector. 

«Stand facing away from the sun and use the viewer to cast a shadow and you can see the eclipsed shape of the sun,» Rice says. She also encourages viewers to examine dappled shadows around them, looking for changes in the shape. 

Solar and lunar eclipses happen throughout the year, but each is a special moment. It’s worth a sunrise sojourn outside to witness a cosmic trick of the light.

Technologies

Microsoft Is Eliminating Passwords in August: Here’s What You Need to Do to Prepare

Microsoft Authenticator has already stopped autofilling passwords, but the biggest change comes next month.

In June, Microsoft Authenticator stopped letting users create new passwords. In July, it turned off the autofill password function. And in August, the login app will stop supporting passwords entirely, moving to more secure passkeys, such as a PIN, fingerprint or facial recognition.

Attila Tomaschek, CNET’s software senior writer and digital security expert, says that passkeys are a safer alternative to the risky password habits practiced by 49% of US adults, according to a recent survey by CNET.

«Passwords can be cracked, whereas passkeys need both the public and the locally stored private key to authenticate users, which can help mitigate risks like falling victim to phishing and brute-force or credential-stuffing attacks,» Tomaschek said.

Using the same password for several accounts or adding personal hints can be a convenient way to remember your login. But that puts you at a big risk for scammers, identity theft and fraud. Here’s more on Microsoft’s plan for eliminating passwords and how to make the switch to passkeys before August.

When will Microsoft Authenticator stop supporting passwords?

Microsoft Authenticator houses your passwords and lets you sign into all your Microsoft accounts using a PIN, facial recognition like Windows Hello, or other biometric data like a fingerprint. Authenticator can be used in other ways, such as verifying you’re logging in if you forgot your password, or using two-factor authentication as an extra layer of security for your accounts. In June, the company stopped letting users add passwords to Authenticator, but here’s a timeline of other changes you can expect from Microsoft.

  • July 2025: You won’t be able to use the autofill password function.
  • August 2025: You’ll no longer be able to use saved passwords.

If you still want to use passwords instead of passkeys, you can store them in Microsoft Edge. However, CNET experts recommend adopting passkeys during this transition. «Passkeys use public key cryptography to authenticate users, rather than relying on users themselves creating their own (often weak or reused) passwords to access their online accounts,» Tomaschek said.

Why are passkeys a better alternative to passwords?

So what exactly is a passkey? It’s a credential created by the Fast Identity Online Alliance that uses biometric data or a PIN to verify your identity and access your account. Think about using your fingerprint or Face ID to log into your account. That’s generally safer than using a password that is easy to guess or susceptible to a phishing attack.

Passkeys aren’t stored on servers like passwords. Instead, they’re stored only on your personal device. More conveniently, this takes the guesswork out of remembering your passwords and the need for a password manager.

How to set up a passkey in Microsoft Authenticator

Microsoft said in a May 1 blog post that it will automatically detect the best passkey to set up and make that your default sign-in option. «If you have a password and ‘one-time code’ set up on your account, we’ll prompt you to sign in with your one-time code instead of your password. After you’re signed in, you’ll be prompted to enroll a passkey. Then the next time you sign in, you’ll be prompted to sign in with your passkey,» according to the blog post.

To set up a new passkey, open your Authenticator app on your phone. Tap on your account and select «Set up a passkey.» You’ll be prompted to log in with your existing credentials. After you’re logged in, you can set up the passkey.

Continue Reading

Technologies

The AI Chatbots We Use Most, and How We Use Them

91% of AI users have a default artificial intelligence assistant they turn to for their AI tasks, a Menlo Ventures report has found.

If you have a particular artificial intelligence tool that you tend to try first every time you’re in need of an AI assist, you’re not alone. According to a new survey, 91% of people who use AI have a favorite chatbot they try first, whether it’s ChatGPT, Gemini, Alexa or something else.

A Menlo Ventures survey of 5,000 adults found that this «default tool dynamic» means most people using AI have chosen a general AI tool they’ll try first for every job, even if it’s not necessarily the best tool for the job.

In the report, ChatGPT is the AI assistant that tops default tools, with 28% of respondents choosing it first. It’s followed by Google’s Gemini at 23%, Meta AI and Amazon’s Alexa, both at 18% and Apple’s Siri at 16%. Other tools including Claude, Grok and Perplexity collectively make up another 33%.

Some of the most common ways people are using these AI tools include composing emails and other writing support, researching topics of interest and managing to-do lists, according to Menlo Ventures.

Some of that, Menlo Ventures says, is «first-mover advantage,» with tools like ChatGPT having built up a following by being the first to offer some chatbot and image-generation features. But, the company warns, «that position is not guaranteed,» with challengers moving fast.

«The consumer market for [large language models] is still nascent and far from saturated,» the report says, «leaving ample room for product innovation to shift market share over time.»

Overall, 61% of Americans have used AI in the last six months and nearly 1 in 5, 19%, rely on it daily, the report says.

Continue Reading

Technologies

This Early Prime Day Deal Lets You Grab AirPods 4 At Their Lowest Price Yet

Apple’s AirPods 4 have dropped to their lowest price of 2025 — but this early Prime Day deal won’t last long.

Prime Day is still a few sunsets away, but Amazon isn’t waiting around. The retailer has already started slashing prices across tons of popular products, including the much-loved AirPods 4 (ANC).

For a limited time, you can snag these for 2025’s best price of just $149. This saves you $30, and you don’t even have to enter any codes or clip any coupons. The catch? We can’t promise that this deal will stick around for much longer.

This is the latest generation of Apple’s earbuds. The Apple AirPods 4 have the same H2 chip found in the AirPods Pro 2, so you can expect great sound quality. They also rock a more compact design with this new generation and offer excellent voice-calling performance. Plus, Spatial Audio support adds a touch of personalization.

Note that this deal is for the ANC (active noise cancellation) model of these earbuds. It comes with a wireless charging case and a speaker that can help you find them using Apple’s Find My tracking service.  

«With a slightly smaller design, improved sound and Apple’s powerful H2 chip features, the Apple AirPods 4 are a worthy upgrade,» said CNET audio expert David Carnoy in his AirPods 4 review. «But what really makes them special is the noise canceling in the step-up ANC model.»

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

What’s the competition like? You can find out by reading through the best early Prime Day deals on headphones and speakers, where we’ve rounded up all the latest and greatest prices from the likes of Apple, Sony, Beats and many more big names. Just be sure to get your orders in before the deals expire.

Why this deal matters

Apple products rarely go on sale, and when they do, the stock tends to run out before the deal window closes. Combine that with AirPods 4 being Apple’s latest AirPods and this discount being the year’s all-time low price — you have a nice offer in your hands.

Continue Reading

Trending

Copyright © Verum World Media