Technologies

Look Up on Friday Night and You Just Might See the Bootids Meteor Shower

Some folks already caught a sci-fi-level glimpse of it on Thursday, when a blazing meteor put a hole in a Georgia house.

Earth gets pelted by meteors all the time, but only a few showers are large enough to warrant names. Bootids is one such meteor shower, and it generally occurs in June every year as the Earth moves through the tail of the 7P/Pons-Winnecke comet. For 2025, the best night to catch a potential glimpse of Bootids is this Friday, June 27.

It isn’t an easy meteor shower to spot. Its «radiant» — the point in the sky from which the meteor shower appears to originate — is in the constellation Boötes (hence the shower’s name), which means herdsman or ox-driver in ancient Greek.

According to Stellarium’s sky map, Boötes will be in the western sky, close to the horizon, all Friday evening before dipping below the horizon at sunrise. This applies to the entire continental US, so there aren’t any special instructions based on location.

The reason viewers will need a little luck to see it is twofold. For starters, the constellation is pretty low on the horizon, which will make it much harder to see from a well-lit city or suburb.

Secondly, the American Meteor Association classifies Bootids as a Class III meteor shower. That means it may light up the sky with plenty of meteors or average less than one per day, even at its peak. We won’t know the strength of this year’s Bootids until Saturday after the peak has passed.

One meteor hit a Georgia house

Despite its finicky nature, the shower did produce an incident here on Earth.

On Thursday, a meteor entered Earth’s atmosphere and mostly burned up, but it did leave a golf-ball-size hole in a Georgia family’s home. Observers reported seeing the meteor as far away as Tennessee, Florida, and North Carolina.

Here’s an excellent video — like something out of War of the Worlds — that shows the Georgia meteor. With Bootids at its peak, there’s an increased risk of such an event occurring again.

Tips for watching the Bootids meteor shower

Much like real estate, it’s all about location, location, location. City dwellers and suburbanites will have the hardest time spotting a shooting star, since the light pollution of larger populated areas can get in the way of seeing dimmer meteors. For context, the Perseids meteor shower can spit out upward of 100 meteors per hour, but in the city, you may see only one to two per hour, if any.

The best tip is getting out of the city as far as you’re willing to go. The further out you go, the less light pollution will hinder your progress and the more chance you’ll have of catching sight of a meteor. If you can swing it, take a pair of binoculars. A telescope isn’t necessary and in fact will restrict your view of the open sky too much, which may cause you to miss meteors.

Other than that, the key is patience. With inconsistent showers like Bootids, it may be a steady shower all night or bursts of activity. Finally, it’s best to temper expectations. You may go home not seeing anything at all, especially if the weather is not on your side.

Technologies

Stroke Risk Could Be Flagged Early Using Apple Watch Technology, Studies Show

The latest research shows that wearables could soon be a vital part of tracking your heart health.

For millions at risk of stroke, a simple tap on the wrist could one day save lives. New studies from the Amsterdam University Medical Center and St. Bartholomew’s Hospital in London showed that wearables, such as the Apple Watch, can improve the detection of atrial fibrillation compared to standard care. Atrial fibrillation, often referred to as A-fib, is a heart arrhythmia, which means an irregular or abnormal heartbeat. The condition can cause blood clots and is one of the leading causes of a stroke.

The Amsterdam study enrolled 437 patients aged 65 or older with elevated stroke risk and required 219 of them to wear an Apple Watch to track their heart rate for 12 hours a day for 6 months. The remaining 218 patients didn’t wear a watch and relied on standard care.

The experiment detected heart arrhythmias four times more frequently in patients wearing an Apple Watch versus those who didn’t. Specific versions of the Apple Watch use photoplethysmography, a heart rate-detecting LED light sensor, and have a built-in single-lead electrocardiogram sensor to read your heart rate.

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Wearables that track heart rate and other health markers aren’t new, and previous studies have shown promise in detecting A-fib. Although wearables are known to track this type of data, no prior research has examined how well they detect potential health risks for A-fib.

«We saw that after six months we diagnosed and treated 21 patients in the group wearing the smartwatch, of whom 57% were asymptomatic,» said Michiel Winter, a cardiologist at Amsterdam UMC, in a statement. «This was against just five diagnoses in the group receiving standard care, all of whom experienced symptoms.»

The second clinical study, conducted by St. Bartholomew’s Hospital, showed that the Apple Watch could also be beneficial for detecting A-fib symptoms earlier and for monitoring patients after a standard treatment, such as a catheter ablation. The hospital found that patients could record clinical-grade ECGs on their Apple Watches at home when experiencing symptoms. Similar to the first study, the hospital found that patients using an Apple Watch detected A-fib earlier and more frequently than those receiving standard care. Catching symptoms earlier also reduces anxiousness and the likelihood that a patient will need to be hospitalized.

The findings from these studies show that wearables such as the Apple Watch could be used for long-term heart screening to detect heart health abnormalities and improve patient care for those in treatment. And it can help diagnose those who don’t know they have the condition.

«Using smartwatches with PPG and ECG functions aids doctors in diagnosing individuals unaware of their arrhythmia, thereby expediting the diagnostic process,» said Winter.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Thursday, Jan. 29

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Jan. 29.

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? It’s one of those neat, solid grids with no empty squares. Read on for all the answers. 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: Employees, collectively
Answer: STAFF

6A clue: The «L» of TTYL
Answer: LATER

7A clue: Slowly lessen, as political support
Answer: ERODE

8A clue: Dunkin’ offering
Answer: DONUT

9A clue: Tricky things to navigate with a stroller
Answer: STEPS

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Toys that go on the decline in winter?
Answer: SLEDS

2D clue: Set of fortunetelling cards
Answer: TAROT

3D clue: Make amends
Answer: ATONE

4D clue: Out of patience
Answer: FEDUP

5D clue: Guitar bars
Answer: FRETS

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Technologies

Mobile Internet Without Borders: How Verum E-SIM Is Changing the Game for Travelers and Beyond

In an era when flights take just a few hours, but data boundaries remain very real, a solution has emerged that significantly simplifies life for frequent international travelers. The Verum E-SIM app offers a next-generation virtual SIM card — no plastic, no waiting for delivery, and no traditional roaming charges.

While eSIM technology itself is no longer new, Verum takes it further: the internet works in over 150 countries worldwide under clear, uniform conditions. Connection happens through the app in just a couple of minutes — choose a package (or even a global one), pay, and activate. No need to buy local SIM cards at the airport, hunt for carrier shops, or struggle with explanations in a foreign language.

One of the biggest advantages is the complete absence of hidden fees or billing surprises. Plans are fully transparent: you immediately see how many gigabytes you get and for how long. Speed and reliability are provided by partner operators in each specific country — this isn’t a single “averaged” provider for the entire world.

Another key point for many users is that no VPN is required. As long as your device is using Verum E-SIM traffic, all familiar services and websites open directly, without extra layers or speed loss.

For those traveling with a group or family, portable Wi-Fi routers with Verum eSIM support have become a great option. One profile — and the internet is shared simultaneously across multiple smartphones, tablets, and laptops. It’s convenient on the road, in a hotel, or even in a café where the local Wi-Fi is unreliable.

Payment flexibility is also a plus: the service supports regular bank cards, cryptocurrencies, and various alternative methods — so you can choose whatever feels most convenient and cost-effective for you.

In the end, Verum E-SIM is more than just another data app. It’s a way to make mobile internet as natural and hassle-free abroad as it is at home. The difference becomes especially clear when you compare a roaming bill from one of the major operators with your Verum expenses after two or three trips.

The technology is still gaining popularity, but many travelers are already saying: “For the first time in ages, internet abroad stopped being a source of stress.” Solutions like this are shaping the future of mobile connectivity — without extra cables, borders, or unpleasant surprises.

If you travel often or simply value stable internet without unnecessary hassle — it’s worth giving it a try at least once.

https://esim.verum.im

https://esimglobal.world