Technologies

Geminids Is the Final Big Meteor Shower of 2025, and It’s Coming Soon

This meteor shower can throw dozens of shooting stars per hour under ideal conditions.

December is a busy month between the holiday season, the winter solstice and the occasional aurora borealis. It also hosts one of the best meteor showers of the year, with the Geminids. This often underrated meteor shower doesn’t get the attention that the Perseids meteor shower gets, but it often rains down just as many meteors if you’re willing to brave the cold to go out and see them.

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Geminids, known for its bright, colorful shooting stars, began the show on Thursday and will end on Dec. 17. It’s not the longest-lasting meteor shower, but don’t let its short length fool you. It has one of the most active peaks of any named meteor shower and is capable of throwing over 100 meteors per hour in a good year, according to the American Meteor Society. The Geminids meteor shower peaks on Saturday evening.

It comes to Earth thanks to the 3200 Phaethon asteroid. This is unusual because most meteor showers are fed from comets, which tend to have tails made of ice, dust and rock. Asteroids are made of rock and metal, and don’t typically have tails. That makes the 3200 Phaethon’s tail unique. The only other major meteor shower that is fed by an asteroid instead of a comet is January’s Quadrantids meteor shower. The rest are fed by comets.

How and where to see Geminids

The Geminids meteor shower peaks on the evening of Saturday. During its peak, the AMS says that it can spit out upwards of 150 meteors per hour, although NASA predicts a much tamer 40 to 50 meteors per hour and its peak to occur on Friday. For the best results, we recommend going out on both nights, just in case.

Like all named meteor showers, the Geminids name is the clue for where to find them. The radiant, the point from which the meteors will appear to originate, is in the Gemini constellation. Per Stellarium’s sky map, Gemini will rise out of the eastern sky just after sunset in the Northern Hemisphere. It’ll be accompanied by Jupiter, so if you can find Jupiter, you’re looking in the right spot. Gemini will streak across the sky before ending up on the western horizon at sunrise.

For the best results, the usual skygazing rules apply. People in the city probably won’t see any meteors, while those in the suburbs may see only one or two. The optimal viewing experience occurs when you leave the big city to escape light pollution. Then all you have to do is face yourself toward Gemini and Jupiter and wait. Your eyes may need upward of 30 minutes to adjust to the darkness, so patience is a virtue.

As with most meteor showers, you won’t need any special equipment, and experts recommend that you not take any. Binoculars and telescopes restrict how much of the sky you can see, which may cause you to miss a meteor. The moon, a common source of light pollution when skygazing, will only be 30% full, which means it’s unlikely to inhibit meteor shower viewing.

Michelle Nichols, director of public observing at the Adler Planetarium in Chicago, also recommends dressing warmer than you think you’ll need, since you’ll be outside for a while. She also recommends refraining from alcohol since it can cause you to lose heat faster. This is especially important if you live in the Northeastern US, where another polar vortex is going to drive down temperatures. Make sure to dress appropriately and stay safe.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for Dec. 11, #444

Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Dec. 11, No. 444.

Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.

Today’s Connections: Sports Edition is a tough one. If you’re struggling with today’s puzzle but still want to solve it, read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by The Times. It doesn’t appear in the NYT Games app, but it does in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can play it for free online.

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Put on your skates.

Green group hint: Get your racket.

Blue group hint: Dribble the ball.

Purple group hint: Kids love to do this.

Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Yellow group: Found at a hockey rink.

Green group: Last four men to win a tennis Grand Slam.

Blue group: Current women’s college basketball stars.

Purple group: ____ play.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is found at a hockey rink. The four answers are bench, boards, glass and penalty box.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is the last four men to win a tennis Grand Slam. The four answers are Alcaraz, Djokovic, Nadal and Sinner.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is current women’s college basketball stars. The four answers are Betts, Booker, Crooks and Strong.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is ____ play. The four answers are bang-bang, power, trick and triple.

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Toughest Connections: Sports Edition categories

The Connections: Sports Edition puzzle can be tough, but it really depends on which sports you know the most about. My husband aces anything having to do with Formula 1, my best friend is a hockey buff, and I can answer any question about Minnesota teams.

That said, it’s hard to pick the toughest Connections categories, but here are some I found exceptionally mind-blowing recently.

#1: Series A Clubs, Jan. 11. Answers: Atalanta, Juventus, Lazio, Roma.

#2: WNBA MVPs, Jan. 21. Answers: Catchings, Delle Donne, Fowles and Stewart.

#3: Premier League team nicknames, Jan. 17. Answers: Bees, Cherries, Foxes and Hammers.

#4: Homophones of NBA player names, Jan. 26. Answers: Barns, Connect, Heart and Hero.

Technologies

Today’s Wordle Hints, Answer and Help for Dec. 11, #1636

Here are hints and the answer for today’s Wordle for Dec. 11, No. 1,636.

Looking for the most recent Wordle answer? Click here for today’s Wordle hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

Today’s Wordle puzzle is a little tricky, with a double letter, to boot. If you need a new starter word, check out our list of which letters show up the most in English words. If you need hints and the answer, read on.

Today’s Wordle hints

Before we show you today’s Wordle answer, we’ll give you some hints. If you don’t want a spoiler, look away now.

Wordle hint No. 1: Repeats

Today’s Wordle answer has one repeated letter.

Wordle hint No. 2: Vowels

Today’s Wordle answer has two vowels.

Wordle hint No. 3: First letter

Today’s Wordle answer begins with G.

Wordle hint No. 4: Last letter

Today’s Wordle answer ends with S.

Wordle hint No. 5: Meaning

Today’s Wordle answer can mean to estimate or to suppose something.

TODAY’S WORDLE ANSWER

Today’s Wordle answer is GUESS.

Yesterday’s Wordle answer

Yesterday’s Wordle answer, Dec. 10, No. 1635 was ERASE.

Recent Wordle answers

Dec. 6, No. 1631: WAIST

Dec. 7, No. 1632: FLUTE

Dec. 8, No. 1633: GRAVY

Dec. 9, No. 1634: SNIDE

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Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Thursday, Dec. 11

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Dec. 11.

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 wasn’t too bad, though 7-Across threw me until I solved some of the Down clues. Read on for 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.