Technologies

Don’t Miss Out: Northern Lights to Shine Bright Monday and Tuesday Night

NOAA is predicting a moderate geomagnetic storm on Monday and Tuesday, which will light up northern skies with the aurora borealis.

Northern US residents, go ahead and brave the outdoor chill this Monday or Tuesday night to catch a glimpse of the breathtaking aurora borealis. NOAA is currently predicting that a geomagnetic storm will impact Earth on Monday and Tuesday, which will push the northern lights down into the northern US.

This bout of aurora comes to Earth courtesy of a coronal mass ejection from the sun on Dec. 6. Coronal mass ejections are massive bursts of plasma and other solar materials that are forcibly blasted from the star. These events occur fairly consistently when the sun is at its solar maximum, which it will be through the end of the year and into 2026. The M8-class solar flare is expected to hit Earth in the early hours of Dec. 9.

How far will the aurora reach?

NOAA is predicting that the aurora will be visible in Washington state, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. It may also be visible in Oregon, Nebraska, Wyoming, Iowa, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, if you can get high enough and look north. The very northern reaches of Indiana, Illinois and New York may also see some action. As always, Alaska and Canada offer the best view.

Tuesday night’s aurora will be weaker than Monday night’s, but it will still be largely visible in the same list of states.

This round of aurora borealis isn’t predicted to be quite as far-reaching as the massive aurora that hit in early November. Those were caused by X-Class coronal mass ejections, which are a level above the M-Class that is expected to hit Earth on Monday and Tuesday. Aurora predictions are much like the weather, so they may change depending on whether the geomagnetic storm is weaker or stronger than its current forecast.

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Tips for watching the aurora borealis

Your standard aurora-watching tips all apply for this one. You’ll want to get as high as you can and face north to get your best view of the aurora from your location. The further away you are from the Canadian border, the higher up you’ll need to go to see it. You will also want to get out of the city and suburbia to minimize light pollution.

The bad news is that December’s full moon, which was also a supermoon, was just a few days ago, so it’s still mostly full in the night sky. The light pollution from the moon will almost certainly harm your ability to see the northern lights, especially if you’re in one of the southernmost states in NOAA’s prediction area.

Should you decide to head out, keep an eye out for meteors as well. The Geminids meteor shower began on Dec. 4 and is nearing its peak on Dec. 13 to 14, so you may see a few shooting stars while you’re out looking for the aurora.

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Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Wednesday, Dec. 17

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Dec. 17.

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? 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: Nod (off)
Answer: DOZE

5A clue: Naval submarine in W.W. II
Answer: UBOAT

7A clue: Tricky thing to do on a busy highway
Answer: MERGE

8A clue: Heat-resistant glassware for cooking
Answer: PYREX

9A clue: Put into groups
Answer: SORT

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Break up with
Answer: DUMP

2D clue: Falls in line, so to speak
Answer: OBEYS

3D clue: Legendary vigilante who cuts a «Z» with his sword
Answer: ZORRO

4D clue: Rarin’ to go
Answer: EAGER

6D clue: Common reminder for an upcoming appointment
Answer: TEXT

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Technologies

You Can Watch an Exclusive Avatar: Fire and Ash Scene on TikTok Right Now

Disney and TikTok partner on an immersive content hub for James Cameron’s latest movie about the alien Na’vi.

If you’re not quite ready to head to the theater to watch Avatar: Fire and Ash, an exclusive scene preview might sell you on the visual spectacle. As part of a new collaboration with the social media giant, Disney is posting snippets of its new movie to its TikTok account.

This scene isn’t part of any trailer and won’t be posted to other social media accounts, making TikTok the only place you can view it — unless you buy a movie ticket. A first look at the new movie’s scenes isn’t the only Avatar-related bonus on the social media platform right now, either. TikTok has partnered with the house of mouse to bring an entire «immersive content hub» to the app.

A special section of TikTok includes quizzes and educational videos that explore the alien world of Pandora shown off in the movies. On TikTok, you can take a personality quiz to find out what Na’vi clan you most closely align with and unlock a special profile picture border to use on your account.

Science and fiction blend together with a series of videos from real doctors who explain the basis for some of Avatar’s world-building. If you want to learn about exoplanets or how realistic the anatomy of the movie’s alien animals is, these videos will feed your brain while still providing entertainment value.

Perhaps the most enticing part of Disney’s latest social media collaboration is the opportunity for fans to win prizes and trips. TikTok creators who make edits with the #TikTokAvatarContest hashtag are entered into a competition to win Avatar merchandise. The biggest winners will be able to take a trip to visual effects studio Wētā Workshop in New Zealand or visit Avatar director James Cameron’s Lightstorm Entertainment Studio in Los Angeles.

Avatar: Fire and Ash is the third installment in director Cameron’s cinematic passion project. While the first Avatar movie was released in 2009, Cameron didn’t release another entry in the franchise until 2022. In total, there is a five-movie arc planned for the indigo alien Na’vi on the moon of Pandora.

The Avatar movies are known for pushing the boundaries of CGI visual effects in cinema. They are also historically big winners at the box office: the original Avatar is the highest-grossing film of all time, earning $2.9 billion across its theatrical releases. Its sequel, Avatar: The Way of Water, is the third-highest-grossing film of all time, trailing Avengers: Endgame. You can stream those movies on Disney Plus.

It remains to be seen whether Avatar: Fire and Ash will financially live up to its predecessors. The film currently has mixed reviews from critics on Rotten Tomatoes.