Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Wednesday, April 16

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for April 16.

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.

As a Minnesota music fan, I got a kick out of 6-Across and 7-Across in today’s NYT Mini Crossword, as they highlight a famed singer from my state. Hint: There’s a recent movie about his early days in New York. 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.

The Mini Crossword is just one of many games in the Times’ games collection. 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 at those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: T-t-t-turn up the heat!»
Answer: BRR

4A clue: Like fare at a fair, fairly often
Answer: FRIED

6A clue: A complete unknown?
Answer: RANDO

7A clue: A Rolling Stone?
Answer: ISSUE

8A clue: Witch’s spell
Answer: HEX

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: In-your-face assertive
Answer: BRASH

2D clue: Help with the dishes
Answer: RINSE

3D clue: Done again in a similar way
Answer: REDUX

4D clue: The «F» of T.G.I.F.: Abbr.
Answer: FRI

5D clue: Fawn’s mother
Answer: DOE

How to play more Mini Crosswords

The New York Times Games section offers a large number of online games, but only some of them are free for all to play. You can play the current day’s Mini Crossword for free, but you’ll need a subscription to the Times Games section to play older puzzles from the archives.

Technologies

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Technologies

Lyrids Meteor Shower Peaking Tuesday: Get Outside and Watch the Fireballs

If you miss the peak, the Lyrids continue through Saturday.

If you’re up late or early this week, there’s some dazzling activity going on in the sky you can check out. The Lyrids meteor shower will reach its peak early Tuesday morning, when its barrage of space rocks meets the atmosphere in the eastern sky.

«You will begin to see Lyrids after 10 p.m. local time,» said Bill Cooke, who leads NASA’s Meteoroid Environment Office at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. «This year, the light from the crescent moon will not interfere too much with the viewing, but it is best to look away from the moon, preferably placing it behind you.»

Read more: Here’s a Look Ahead at the Year in Meteor Showers

From Earth, Lyrids meteors tend to look unique, because they usually don’t leave the glowing trails of dust that often come with meteor showers. However, Lyrids meteors are known to create occasional «fireballs,» or bright flashes in the sky.

You’ll see it better away from the city

City lights make it hard to see the sky’s natural features. For the best chance to catch the Lyrids, head away from towns and suburbs to a dark sky in the country. Bring a blanket or sleeping bag, so you can gaze up.

For the best results, try not to look at your phone screen — the light from the device makes it harder for your eyes to adjust — and just stare up at the sky. TikTok will be there when you get back.

«In less than 30 minutes in the dark, your eyes will adapt, and you will begin to see meteors,» Cooke said.

The point where a meteor shower appears to originate from is called the radiant. To find the radiant of the Lyrids, look near the constellation Lyra, which is where the Lyrid meteor shower gets its name.

The brightest star in the Lyra constellation is Vega. It shines so bright that careful observers might even spot Vega in an area with light pollution. For the meteor shower tonight, look away from the variant a bit, as the Lyrids will appear «longer and more spectacular from this perspective,» according to NASA.

Five or six meteors could be visible by 4:30 a.m. CT., Cooke said. But, in the past, the Lyrids meteor shower, which visits Earth every April, has surprised lucky skywatchers with as many as 100 meteors per hour.

The bits of space rock that create the Lyrids come from comet C/1861 G1 Thatcher, named for A. E. Thatcher, who discovered it in 1861. The Lyrids are one of the oldest known meteor showers. We’ve got a full guide to the entire year in meteor showers.