Technologies

An Aurora Is Hitting Monday Night Only and Will Be Visible in Over a Dozen States

Increased solar flare activity over the last few days will cause the northern horizon to light up for many states.

As the sun continues the tumultuous peak of its 11-year cycle, more instances of aurora borealis have been expected. The most recent instance was earlier in August when auroras lit up the skies in 18 states. It seems the Earth is in for another battering of solar material as another aurora has been forecast for Monday night, and it should be a pretty decent one for states in the northern US.

According to NOAA, the Earth will experience a geomagnetic storm with a Kp 5 rating. For the uninitiated, the K-index is a measure of how strong geomagnetic storms are and a Kp 5 rating is designated as a «moderate» storm by NOAA. In general, the stronger the geomagnetic storm, the further south an aurora appears, and a Kp 5 will almost assuredly drag the northern lights into the US.

This week’s geomagnetic storm comes to us courtesy of the sun. Per SpaceWeatherLive, there were a number of solar flares ejected from the sun over the last several days, a pattern of increased solar activity that also caused the aurora on Aug. 8.

Where will the aurora be visible?

The states that can be expected to see it include Washington, the northern tip of Idaho, Montana, North and South Dakota, Wisconsin, Minnesota and the northern horn of Michigan. If it’s dark enough and people face north, it may also be visible in Wyoming, Iowa, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. Of course, the best view will be in Alaska, where the whole state should be able to see the most intense part of the aurora.

NOAA says the storm will peak at around 0300 to 0900 UTC, which translates to 11 p.m. through 5 a.m. ET (8 p.m. to 2 a.m. PT).

Tips to see the aurora

If you live in one of the aforementioned states, your best bet is to get somewhere elevated and away from city or suburban light pollution, and then simply point yourself north. Photographers looking to catch a glimpse will want to use long exposure times to give the camera ample time to take in as much aurora light as possible.

If you plan on taking a trip out to the sticks to see it, keep an eye out for shooting stars at the tail end of Perseids meteor shower and you may be able to spot some plants in the last planet parade of 2025.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Tuesday, Aug. 19

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Aug. 19.

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.

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword is one of those puzzle grids with absolutely no empty spaces in the grid. So if you get all the Across answers, the Down ones will fill right in. Other than 1-Across, it went pretty quickly for me today. 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.

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: Animal that falls in love with a tape dispenser, in a classic New Yorker cartoon
Answer: SNAIL

6A clue: Language written in Devanagari script
Answer: HINDI

7A clue: Singer Presley or Costello
Answer: ELVIS

8A clue: George ___, «Middlemarch» author
Answer: ELIOT

9A clue: Things «read» by fortune tellers
Answer: PALMS

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Blind followers
Answer: SHEEP

2D clue: ___ wafers (Nabisco treat)
Answer: NILLA

3D clue: Heavy item falling from the sky in some classic cartoons
Answer: ANVIL

4D clue: «In a pickle» or «in a jam»
Answer: IDIOM

5D clue: They might end with «etc.»
Answer: LISTS

Technologies

Google Translate Reportedly Adding AI Integration, Duolingo-Like Game Elements

This update could spell trouble for its translation competitor, the internet’s favorite green owl.

Google Translate could soon get some major AI enhancements, like the ability to select different AI models and a game-like practice mode, according to a report from Android Police on Monday.

Android analyst AssembleDebug looked into the Google Translate app’s latest build, version 9.15.114, and found what appears to be new changes to the user interface. At the top, there’s a new model selector, Fast and Advanced. Fast would presumably be for quick translation tasks, like deciphering menu items. Advanced will likely use Gemini to understand the context of a text or a conversation with more accuracy

Read more: Best Language Learning Apps for 2025

According to the report, the update will also include a practice mode to help gamify language learning, similar to that used in the popular language app Duolingo.

A representative for Google didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

For the last two years, Google’s been showcasing various demos and releasing features to make language interpretation easier. At Google I/O earlier this year, the tech giant showed off a demo of what live translation might look like for someone wearing a pair of its Android XR smartglasses.

With the launch of the Pixel Fold in 2023, the company also released a live interpreter mode that used the device’s inner and outer screens.

Understanding different languages is a key innovation of AI. The ability to use large language model technology to interpret between two distinct languages expands the content and conversations humans can have with one another.

Already, Google has released auto-dubbing tech on YouTube, allowing English-speaking audiences to watch Japanese YouTubers, for example.