Technologies

Orionids Is Set to Haunt the Sky in October: How and When to See These Meteors

This meteor shower is noted for its bright, fast meteors that leave trails that can linger in the sky for a few minutes.

It’s October, also known as spooky month, and time for one of the best meteor showers to visit Earth every year: the Orionids. Despite not getting as much love as the Quadrantids or Perseids, the Orionids meteor shower is still one of the prettiest. It starts on Oct. 2 and runs through the second week of November.

When Earth moves through the long, debris-strewn tails of a large comet, the debris falls to Earth in the form of meteors, which we refer to as meteor showers. The Orionids meteor shower occurs courtesy of the 1P/Halley comet, known colloquially as Halley’s Comet. Another meteor shower Earth experiences thanks to Halley’s comet is the Eta Aquariids, which occurs in April and May.

The Orionids is also one of the longest-running major meteor showers, lasting more than a month and a half (most meteor showers last weeks or up to a month).

When is the best time to view Orionids?

The Orionids is predicted to peak on the evening of Oct. 20 and the morning of Oct. 21. The meteor shower is noted for its bright, fast-traveling meteors, which leave trails in the sky that can last several seconds and up to a couple of minutes.

In terms of time, most experts agree that the show should be at its best between midnight and dawn. For early risers, your best bet is to get out there before the sun rises.

Where should I look to see the Orionids?

The Orionids are named after the Orion constellation. All meteor showers are named for the constellation from which they appear to originate. This point, referred to as the radiant, is where you’ll want to look at the sky.

In the US, the constellation will rise above the eastern horizon at around midnight local time. Over the course of the evening, it’ll streak over to the southern section of the sky, where it’ll eventually be drowned out by the sun at sunrise. If you’re able to spot Jupiter, which will also be visible that night, Orion is right next to it. If you’re having trouble, websites like Stellarium have free sky maps that you can use for reference.

Tips for viewing Orionids

According to NASA, the Orionids meteor shower is expected to shoot off 10 to 20 meteors per hour in perfect conditions. Your best bet at getting a good show is to achieve perfect conditions as much as you can.

Your enemy is light pollution, so you’ll want to get as far away from the city and suburbs as possible. Since Orion is in the eastern sky, leaving town by traveling east will ensure you don’t have light pollution in your view while trying to watch. You may see a couple of streaks of light in the suburbs and city, but it’s far less likely.

October’s spectacular supermoon will be long gone by the third week of this month, so you won’t have to contend with what will be one of the brightest moons of the year. The only other variable is weather, which you don’t have any control over.

Once you escape light pollution, simply sit yourself down and watch the eastern and southern skies. The meteors will be visible without the use of magnification.

Orionids brought friends

While the Orionids is the biggest meteor shower of the month, two others will also make an appearance.

The Draconids meteor shower, one of the shortest meteor showers at just four days, is happening between Oct. 6 and Oct. 10, with the peak occurring on Oct. 8. The Northern Taurids start on Oct. 13 and run through the beginning of December. You’ll have to wait until November to see the peak for that one.

Technologies

The Sequel to Subway Surfers Is Launching in February, and You Can Preregister Now

Subway Surfers was the most downloaded game of the 2010s, so the sequel has some big shoes to fill.

Of all the mobile games ever released, none of them is as popular as Subway Surfers. The iconic endless runner has put up 4.5 billion downloads since its initial release in 2012. After 14 years of unprecedented success, developer SYBO Games is ready to turn the page with the release of a sequel, Subway Surfers City.

SYBO says the game is set to launch on Feb. 26, and it’s available for preregistration on Google Play and iOS right now. SYBO also released a cinematic trailer showing off some new characters and environments.

The sequel features a new metropolis location with four districts to play through at launch, including The Docks, Southline, Sunrise Blvd and Delorean Park, along with four new characters. SYBO says that fresh content will be released every season, including new parts of the city to explore and a variety of cosmetic goodies to unlock.

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Based on the game’s screenshots, SYBO isn’t deviating too much from the core ideas of the original game, showing characters getting spotted, adding graffiti to a subway tunnel and mercilessly chased by The Guard and his dog until they’re caught.

Subway Surfers City will have several new mechanics that aren’t recycled from the old game, including a stomp mechanic that’ll unlock secrets and alternate paths.

The game also adds some new modes, including a finite runner mode where you can tour through the various environments to achieve specific goals, and an Events mode that will challenge you to a rotating gauntlet of missions. The Classic Endless mode makes its return to the new game, as does the ability to play the game offline, two things players loved about the original Subway Surfers.

Subway Surfers City will be free to play with in-app purchases, just like its predecessor.

Some big shoes to fill

Releasing a sequel that’s as beloved as the original will be tough, and SYBO has its work cut out for it. The original Subway Surfers was released in 2012, and while it’s not necessarily known for popularizing the genre of endless runner (that title goes to Temple Run), it quietly took over as the de facto leader in the genre.

Angry Birds was the first mobile franchise to surpass 1 billion downloads, a feat it accomplished in 2012 across its various games. Subway Surfers was the first to do it in a single game, accomplishing the feat in 2015. It later became the first game to hit 1 billion on the Google Play Store in 2018. It was likely the first game to hit 2 billion downloads, and was definitely the first to hit 3 billion and 4 billion. No other mobile game has ever reached 4 billion downloads.

According to SYBO, Subway Surfers has amassed 4.5 billion downloads as of Jan. 2026 and still boasts millions of monthly active players, despite being nearly a decade and a half old.

Its popularity has remained steady in modern times after many creators started using Subway Surfers gameplay as b-roll in their TikTok videos, a tactic that has been repeated by a professor at the University of California, San Diego during his lectures, which caused his registration rates to skyrocket. Starbucks got in on it with a game that had players collect Starbucks coffee cups for prizes.

Over two dozen companies and celebrities have done events for the game, including Demi Lovato, Walmart, the NFL Players Association and, arguably most famously, Burger King, which helped the game celebrate its 10th birthday with the Burger King Challenge. The prize for that challenge was unlocking the Burger King himself.

There aren’t many niches in gaming where Subway Surfers isn’t present. On top of its massive amount of downloads and use in social media videos, Subway Surfers is also one of the most popular games of all time for speedrunners, and by far the most popular such game for mobile.

The shoes the sequel needs to fill couldn’t be larger, but SYBO believes it’s up to the challenge.

«At its core, Subway Surfers City is the next chapter of Subway Surfers’nearly 15-year-long legacy,» said Mathias Gredal Nørvig, CEO of SYBO.»Subway Surfers City stars reimagined fan-favorite characters, whilesimultaneously introducing never-before-seen content and mechanics. It’sa balance of the classic game our players know and love, with a freshvibrancy that brings the crew’s universe to life in a whole new way.»

Technologies

Black Ops 7 Quad Feed Double XP Weekend Is Live Now

Get a head start on the latest content in Black Ops 7 Season 1 Reloaded with a healthy heaping of double XP rewards.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 developer Treyarch is showing some love to loyal players with a double XP weekend in honor of the Zombies-themed 115 Day celebration. The latest double XP weekend is live now, with all four boosts active for players to take advantage of. You’ll be able to speed through account levels, weapon attachment unlocks and battle pass tiers to chug through the latest seasonal content during this event. This double XP weekend runs from Thursday, Jan. 15, to Tuesday, Jan. 20.

Anyone playing Black Ops 7 during the event period has a universal double account XP, weapon XP, battle pass XP and GobbleGum earn rate applied to their account. If you log in now, you can hop into battle and reap the rewards of this double XP weekend right away.

This is a Quad Feed double XP weekend — a tradition started with last year’s release, Black Ops 6. That means players will be able to benefit from all four customary double XP weekend boosts at the same time. Your double XP tokens will also be locked for the duration of the event.

Here’s everything you need to know about this double XP weekend. If you’re looking for something else to play, see our recommendations for the best game subscription services.

When does the double XP weekend start in Call of Duty: Black Ops 7?

This double XP weekend kicked off Thursday at 1 p.m. ET and is currently live now.

Not sure when the double XP weekend went live for you? Here’s when the event started in your time zone:

ET: Jan. 15 at 1 p.m.
CT: Jan. 15 at noon.
MT: Jan. 15 at 11 a.m.
PT: Jan. 15 at 10 a.m.

It’s always worth starting your game ahead of your gaming session if possible. As with every Black Ops 7 patch, the update is going to require you to download new content and restart the application.

When does the double XP weekend end in Call of Duty: Black Ops 7?

Some double XP «weekends» are much longer events, lasting five to seven days. The current double XP weekend isn’t nearly that long. This double XP weekend will end on Tuesday. Your double XP tokens will once again unlock after this time.

Here’s when the double XP weekend will end in your time zone:

ET: Jan. 20 at 1 p.m.
CT: Jan. 20 at noon.
MT: Jan. 20 at 11 a.m.
PT: Jan. 20 at 10 a.m.

Does Call of Duty Warzone have double XP this weekend?

Call of Duty Warzone has a double XP weekend running in tandem with Black Ops 7. That means Warzone players will also be able to benefit from this boost by leveling up their account, weapons and battle passes at twice the normal speed.

New players have a chance to level up the weapons they unlock from the new and improved Warzone Armory, and returning players can continue unlocking new attachments for the suite of Black Ops 7 weaponry added to Warzone.

Black Ops 7 double XP FAQ

Technologies

Switching to T-Mobile’s Better Value Family Plan Could Save You Over $1,000 Per Year

With three or more lines, you get great benefits like free streaming services, satellite connectivity and more.

If you’re looking to cut down on your monthly cell bill, you may want to switch to T-Mobile. Starting at just $140 per month, its new Better Value family plan is already cheaper than some competitors. Plus, it comes with a range of free services and benefits that can save you up to $1,000 per year compared to AT&T or Verizon.

It’s important to note that you need at least three lines of service to be on this plan. If you’re switching from another carrier, you’ll need to port in at least two existing numbers. T-Mobile is also offering a five-year price guarantee, so you don’t have to worry about unexpected costs down the line.

In addition to unlimited 5G data and 250GB of hotspot data every month, the Better Value family plan comes with all kinds of other benefits. You’ll get T-Satellite for free, which uses the Starlink network for unlimited texting and data on specific apps. Other benefits include 30GB of data while abroad in over 215 countries, as well as a free Netflix and Hulu subscription.

Why this deal matters

The benefits you get with T-Mobile’s new Better Value family plan can save you more than $1,000 per year compared to AT&T and Verizon. You can only sign up for a limited time, however, so take advantage of these savings while you can.