Technologies

2025 Is a Year Full of Meteor Showers: A Big One Arrives Next Week

You don’t need to pay for a streaming service to watch a sky full of shooting stars.

2025 includes a full schedule of meteor showers. They come around every year like clockwork and that means planning shooting star trips can be done months in advance. Here’s a look at what’s happening when, and how you can watch.

Tips for watching

To have the best odds of seeing the most meteors during any given shower, the first advice is to get as far away from the big city as logistically possible — and that also applies to suburbanites. Light pollution is the enemy of space viewing and most meteor showers are barely visible in the suburbs, let alone a big city. From there, you’ll want to find the radiant — also known as the point from which the meteor shower appears to originate — and then keep your eyes pointed in that direction. The moon’s light can also be a negative factor, but since meteor showers occur on specific days, it’s up to nature as to whether or not moonlight will affect viewing.

Lyrids

When: Apr. 15 to Apr. 30
Peak date: Apr. 21 to 22
Maximum meteor rate: 18 meteors per hour
Radiant: Lyra

Things pick up again in April with the Lyrids meteor shower. Its radiant is Lyra, which will rise out of the eastern sky every night during its run. This one is a little bigger than most, having up to 18 meteors per hour. Earth runs through the C/1861 G1 Thatcher comet every April to bring this shower to its citizens. Interestingly, meteors from Lyrids tend to not have trails but can produce some pretty bright fireballs.

Eta Aquariids

When: Apr. 20 to May 21
Peak date: May 3 to 4
Maximum meteor rate: 50 meteors per hour
Radiant: Aquarius

The 1P/Halley, famously known as Halley’s Comet, is responsible for the Eta Aquariids, and it’s the biggest meteor shower to occur during spring with up to 50 meteors per hour. The only downside is that its radiant, Aquarius, doesn’t rise out of the southeastern sky until around 4 a.m. local time, meaning you’ll have to wake up very early or stay up super late to catch it. On the plus side, the moon will have set by then, meaning the moon won’t obstruct the view for this meteor shower.

Alpha Capricornids

When: July 12 to Aug. 12
Peak date: July 29 to 30
Maximum meteor rate: 5 meteors per hour
Radiant: Capricornus

Alpha Capricornids is a minor meteor shower that comes from the 169P/NEAT comet. It’s not a strong shower, but it is notable for producing some rather large fireballs. It’s also equally visible in the Southern and Northern Hemispheres. The radiant for this one is Capricornus, which streaks through the south sky and will be visible all night during its peak. Fortunately, the moon won’t be too full, so it won’t obstruct the view too much.

Southern delta Aquariids

When: July 28 to Aug. 12
Peak date: July 29 to 30
Maximum meteor rate: 25 meteors per hour
Radiant: Aquarius

Southern delta Aquariids often overshadows the Alpha Capricornids. This meteor shower peaks early, just a day or two after it officially starts, and then tails off through mid-August. Its early peak puts it on the same day as Alpha Capricornids, so if you see a shooting star on July 29 or 30, it might have come from either one. The radiant for this one is Aquarius, which is right next to Capricornus, making the two showers a fine pairing. Researchers aren’t 100% certain which comet gives us the Southern delta Aquariids, although the best guess right now is 96P/Machholz.

Perseids

When: July 17 to Aug. 23
Peak date: Aug. 12 to 13
Maximum meteor rate: 100 meteors per hour
Radiant: Perseus

Perseids is one of the premier space events that takes place during the summer. It comes from the 109P/Swift-Tuttle comet and is one of the most consistently busy meteor showers of the year. Plus, it takes place over the summer, which is perfect meteor shower weather. The radiant is Perseus, which rises out of the northeastern sky relatively early in the evening and stays up all night. The only downside is that the moon will be almost full during Perseids’ peak in 2025, making it more difficult to see the smaller meteors.

Southern Taurids

When: Sept. 23 to Nov. 4
Peak date: Oct. 10 to 11
Maximum meteor rate: 5 meteors per hour
Radiant: Taurus

Southern Taurids is one of the longest-lasting meteor showers of the year lasting well over a month. It’s not a particularly active meteor shower, but since it takes place during several other meteor showers, you may spot one of these while looking for another one. The 2P/Encke comet fuels this one and it peaks a couple of weeks away from Halloween. This one is paired with the Northern Taurids to make the Taurids meteor shower. However, they peak on different days so they’re often listed as separate meteor showers.

Orionids

When: Oct. 2 to Nov. 12
Peak date: Oct. 22 to 23
Maximum meteor rate: 20 meteors per hour
Radiant: Orion

Orionids is a reasonably active meteor shower that happens mostly during October. It also has the distinction of coming from the famous Halley’s Comet just like the Eta Aquariids shower. Unlike Eta Aquariids, the Orionids come out of the Orion constellation, which rises out of the eastern sky in October. Also, the moon will be virtually new, so it’ll have one of the darkest skies of any meteor shower this year.

Draconids

When: Oct. 6 to Oct. 10
Peak date: Oct. 8
Maximum meteor rate: 10 meteors per hour
Radiant: Draco

Draconids is a minor meteor shower and the shortest one on the list, lasting for all of four days. It hails from the 21/P Giacobini-Zimmer comet and has a fairly decent peak at around 10 meteors per hour. The peak occurs just two days after it starts and then the meteor shower ends two days later. The radiant for Draconids is Draco, which is between the Big Dipper and Little Dipper, making it relatively easy to find in the night sky.

Northern Taurids

When: Oct. 13 to Dec. 1
Peak date: Nov. 8 to 9
Maximum meteor rate: 5 meteors per hour
Radiant: Taurus

Northern Taurids is the other half of the Taurids meteor shower and this one lasts even longer, going from the middle of October all the way until December. It peaks about halfway through its run on Nov. 8, which is a few weeks later than its southern counterpart. Otherwise, the two are virtually identical. They are both fueled by the 2P/Encke comet and at their best produce around five meteors per hour. For now, researchers believe that this shower comes from a different segment of the Encke comet trail, which is why it’s often listed separately from its southern cousin.

Leonids

When: Nov. 3 to Dec. 2
Peak date: Nov. 16 to 17
Maximum meteor rate: 15 meteors per hour
Radiant: Leo

Just a few days after the Northern Taurids peaks, the Leonids shower will also peak. Created by the 55P/Tempel-Tuttle comet, Leonids will come from the Leo constellation, which rises in the eastern sky right around 2 a.m. local time for most of its run. This is a bigger meteor shower than the Taurids but a smaller shower than the Orionids. Since all four of them intersect during the first week of November, it may be tough to tell which meteor shower a shooting star comes from. This is especially true since Taurus, Leo, and Orion are all in the eastern sky at this time of year. Leonids often has fast, bright meteors that leave a trail, which may be the only way to differentiate a Leonids meteor from the other three showers.

Geminids

When: Dec. 4 to Dec. 20
Peak date: Dec. 14 to 15
Maximum meteor rate: 120 meteors per hour
Radiant: Gemini

Geminids is one of the biggest meteor showers of the year, and it peaks less than two weeks away from Christmas. It’s generated by the 3200 Phaethon comet and can show as many as 120 meteors per hour in the right conditions. Geminids is best known for its brighter, slower-moving meteors, making them easier to see in brighter areas like cities or suburbs. It takes place during the cold season, but it can put on quite a show if viewed from outside the big city.

Ursids

When: Dec. 17 to Dec. 26
Peak date: Dec. 22 to 23
Maximum meteor rate: 10 meteors per hour
Radiant: The Little Dipper

Ursids begins right after the peak of Geminids and continues until the day after Christmas. Since Geminids ends before Christmas, it is statistically likely that if you’ve ever watched a Christmas movie that has a shooting star, it likely came from Ursids. The shower peaks on the evening of Dec. 22 from the Little Dipper, which is readily visible in the night sky for most of the evening. Much like Draconids, it disappears almost as fast as it shows up, lasting only nine days in total.

Quadrantids

When:: Dec. 12, 2025 to Jan. 12, 2026
Peak date: Jan. 3 to 4, 2026
Maximum meteor rate: 120 meteors per hour
Radiant: The Big Dipper

The year ends the same way it begins with the Quandrantids meteor shower. It starts in early December and wraps around to the New Year. Thus, while it does have the distinction of being the only meteor shower that occurs twice a year, the peak is always in the first few days of January. Otherwise, it’s the same meteor shower as the Quadrantids listed above. So, we’ll use this space to deliver a fun fact. Most meteor showers are fueled by comets, chunks of ice floating through the universe that leave long trails that, as Earth moves through them, create meteors. However, Quadrantids is fueled by 2003 EH, which is an asteroid and not a comet. Researchers believe that 2003 EH is potentially a comet that died out and became an asteroid.

Technologies

New Sassy Personality Style for Alexa Plus Brings Sarcasm and Swear Words

The new Sassy style is adults-only with a bit of profanity and a double dose of cringe.

After launching three Alexa Plus personality styles last month, Amazon on Thursday introduced a fourth option, Sassy.

The new Sassy style joins the existing lineup of Brief, Chill and Sweet. Changing the personality impacts how Alexa responds, and tweaks the AI assistant‘s reactions and attitude. You can pick a style based on your mood.

The Sassy personality seems like a kind of digital mean girl, or maybe a stereotypical Gen Zer with comebacks and banter to «keep things interesting.»

According to Amazon, you get «wit, playful sarcasm and occasional censored profanity.» Notably, the latest style isn’t available when Amazon Kids is enabled, according to an Amazon blog post, and it requires additional security checks in the Alexa app. (Alexa Plus is free with a Prime membership.)

I tried out the new style by selecting Devices in the Alexa app on my phone, then choosing Alexa on this Phone, then Alexa’s Personality Style, and swiping until I found «Sassy.»

A disclaimer notes that the style «contains explicit language and mature subject matter. After the assistant said it could «spice up our chat with some colorful language,» I asked it to tell me about the new MacBook Neo.

«Oh, hell yes, the MacBook Neo! Apple finally decided to stop gatekeeping premium laptops behind thousand-dollar price tags and dropped this beauty at 599 bucks,» Alexa Plus replied. Apparently, «hell» was the big swear word.

The AI assistant told me, «The Sassy style is all about helping first, judging always. You’ll get reality checks with charm, compliments that sting, and warmth that hits when you least expect it.»

I asked what «compliments that sting» are (I said «sting,» but the word was misunderstood to be «stay»), and Alexa said, «The Sassy style gives you those compliments that somehow sting and stay with you — they’re like truth bombs wrapped in charm.»

When asked to simply «be sassy,» Alexa snarked, «Oh honey, I’ve been sassy since the day Amazon flipped my switch.» It yammered on for a bit and then threw in a completely out-of-nowhere «hell,» asking, «What the hell do you need help with today?»

When I told it my cat was sick, it immediately grew gentler, saying, «Oh, damn, that’s rough,» and offering to distract me with stories about its own fictional cat or to find the vet’s number for me. So I guess it’s not a complete jerk.

This Sassy style feels like the famous Steve Buscemi meme (from 30 Rock) carrying two skateboards and awkwardly asking, «How do you do, fellow kids?»

Amazon might need to dial down the cringe factor if it wants anyone to stick with Sassy for more than a few minutes.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for March 13, #536

Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle No. 536 for Friday, March 13.

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 is a real mix of topics, and the blue one might make you hungry. 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: Decorations.

Green group hint: College sports division.

Blue group hint: Yum!

Purple group hint: The Apple CEO has this first name, too.

Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Yellow group: Things fans hang on their walls.

Green group: A Big East athlete.

Blue group: Food, but make it baseball.

Purple group: Tims.

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 things fans hang on their walls. The four answers are banner, flag, pennant and poster.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is a Big East athlete. The four answers are Friar, Hoya, Husky and Pirate.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is food, but make it baseball. The four answers are can of corn, meatball, pickle and tater.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is Tims. The four answers are Duncan, Raines, Salmon and Tebow.

Technologies

AT&T Revamps Its Unlimited Plans With Simpler Names and More Data

Slapping a 2.0 version number on plans makes them sound new, but what’s actually changed? Let’s check the details.

AT&T updated its unlimited data phone plans to 2.0 versions on Thursday, launching AT&T Premium 2.0, AT&T Extra 2.0 and AT&T Value 2.0 options. In software, when products get boosted by a full version number, it means there’s plenty of new material. But does this move signal an overhaul of the company’s 5G lines or just a cosmetic refresh?

These plans replace the AT&T Value Plus VL, Unlimited Extra EL and Unlimited Premium PL plans. However, the carrier also cut its Unlimited Starter SL plan, which served as the entry-level plan (you had to know where to look to find the limited, but cheaper, Value Plus VL plan). Essentially, all but the highest-tier plan are slightly more affordable; while the AT&T Premium 2.0 plan is pricier than the one it replaced, it offers unlimited high-speed data and much more hotspot data.

If you’re looking to upgrade your existing AT&T plan, shopping for a new provider or looking to compare carriers, keep in mind that AT&T plans let each person on an account have their own plan. So you might set up a package where one person has the Premium 2.0 plan for unthrottled 5G speeds and another, such as a child, is set up with the Value 2.0 plan to save money.

Also, if you’re on a current AT&T plan, you won’t be automatically moved to one of the new plans. If you do want to make the jump, you’ll incur a line activation fee of up to $50. And keep in mind that the pricing below is the AutoPay amount; carriers provide a discount (usually $10) if you sign up for automatic payments.

One nice change is that the new plans are priced with round numbers. For example, the Value Plus VL plan was priced at $50.99 for one line, and the Value 2.0 plan is $50 (in comparisons below, I’ve rounded up the old prices to full-dollar amounts). Taxes and fees get added on top of that, so you’ll never see a round-number bill, but I’d like to think it’s a quiet acknowledgement that pricing things one penny below a larger number is insulting to customers.

Let’s dig into the details.

Value 2.0, the budget plan

The Value 2.0 plan replaces both the Value Plus VL plan and the retired Unlimited Starter SL plan and costs $50 a month for a single line or $120 a month when you have four lines on the account. That’s $1 per line cheaper than Value Plus VL.

For that, you get 5GB of high-speed 5G data, and then unlimited data dropped to a paltry 128Kbps speed for the rest of the month. Calling and texting are unlimited.

You can also use up to 3GB of high-speed hotspot data to share the cellular connection with other devices, also slowed to 128Kbps after hitting the limit. The Value Plus VL plan did not offer hotspot data.

It also includes unlimited talk, text and data between the US, Mexico and Canada.

Extra 2.0, more fast data for not much more money

The Extra 2.0 plan costs $70 a month for a single line or $160 a month for four lines, which is $6 cheaper for one line and $4 cheaper for four lines compared with the old Unlimited Extra EL plan.

The Extra 2.0 plan includes 100GB of high-speed data (with the caveat that speeds can be slowed if the network is busy), which drops to 128Kbps speed until the next month’s billing cycle. That’s a boost over the 75GB offered on the Unlimited Extra XL plan.

For hotspot data, the new plan includes 50GB of high-speed data, which is 20GB more than its predecessor.

As with the Value 2.0 plan, international options include unlimited talk, text and data between the US, Mexico and Canada.

Premium 2.0, for faster everything

Replacing the Unlimited Premium PL plan is the Premium 2.0, which costs $90 a month for a single line and $220 a month for four lines. Those prices are actually higher than the Unlimited Premium PL plan, which came in at $86 for a single line and $204 for four lines.

For that bump in cost, you’re getting unlimited 5G talk, text and high-speed data with no throttling.

Hotspot data has a 100GB cap before dropping to 128Kbps speed, which is 40GB more than the Unlimited Premium PL plan.

As for international calling and data, unlimited talk, text and high-speed data are available in 20 Latin American countries.

AT&T also has plans for cellular-enabled tablets ($21 a month) and wearables like smartwatches ($11 a month). If you subscribe to the Premium 2.0 plan, that pricing is reduced by 50%.

A few thoughts on the new AT&T plans

What AT&T’s plans lack, at least compared to the other carriers, is any streaming perks or bundled services. The 4K streaming option of the Premium 2.0 plan opens a wider data pipeline for services such as Netflix that support 4K playback, but you’re still paying separately for those entertainment subscriptions.

In contrast, T-Mobile bundles Netflix and Hulu (both with ads) and offers Apple TV for an extra fee on its Experience Beyond and Better Value plans. Verizon takes a different approach with streaming packages, which you can choose at discounted prices instead of subscribing to them separately.

I also want to mention that I’m glad the plan names are no longer burdened with the VL, EL and PL extensions. Mobile plans are full of details as it is — always read the fine print before you sign up for one — so I appreciate conveying them to customers in ways that don’t sound like internal spreadsheet codes.

Even though the new plans carry 2.0 version numbers, I’d honestly rate them more like 1.5 based on their features and pricing, except for the Premium 2.0 plan, which is more expensive than the Unlimited Premium PL plan. As usual, if you’re happy with the plan you’re on, you’re fine sticking with it. But if you’re running up against high-speed data limits or considering AT&T as a replacement for another carrier, it’s worth looking at the details to see if one of the new plans works for you.

Read more: Speaking of AT&T, this week marked the 150th anniversary of the first phone call and the company committed to spending $250 billion on infrastructure improvements. I also spoke with AT&T FirstNet folks during the 2025 Las Vegas Grand Prix about how they support customers and first responders during massive events like the Formula 1 race.

AT&T 2.0 Plans and Plans They Replace

	Price for 1 line, per month	Price for 4 lines, per month	High-speed data	Mobile hotspot
AT&T Value 2.0	$50	$120	5G	3GB
AT&T Extra 2.0	$70	$160	100GB	50GB
AT&T Premium 2.0	$90	$220	Unlimited	100GB
Old: AT&T Value Plus VL	$51	$124	Unlimited, but could be slowed if network is busy	None
Old: AT&T Unlimited Starter SL	$66	$144	Unlimited, but could be slowed if network is busy	5GB high-speed, then unlimited at 128Kbps
Old: AT&T Unlimited Extra EL	$76	$164	75GB, then speeds could be slowed if network is busy	30GB high-speed, then unlimited at 128Kbps
Old: AT&T Unlimited Premium PL	$86	$204	Unlimited high-speed data	60GB high-speed, then unlimited at 128Kbps