Technologies

Solar Eclipse for Saturday Sunrise Will Bring ‘Pac-Man Sun’: How to Watch

A partial solar eclipse on March 29 will be visible from parts of North America. Here’s how to safely view the cosmic event, even if you can’t be there in person.

Hot on the tail of the «blood moon» total lunar eclipse earlier this month comes a rise-and-shine special: a partial solar eclipse that will be visible at sunrise on March 29 in some parts of the US. You don’t have to be in the eclipse path to join the solar festivities. Livestreams will bring the action onto your screen as the moon takes a dramatic bite out of the sun.

What is a partial solar eclipse?

A solar eclipse is a shadow dance involving the sun, Earth and moon. The moon passes before the sun, blocking the star and casting a shadow on our planet. If the weather permits, people in the shadow’s path can see the eclipse.

The sun-moon-Earth alignment isn’t perfect on March 29, though, so we will get only a partial eclipse that will look like a dark bite taken from a glowing cookie. «The central part of the moon’s shadow, where the sun would appear completely blocked, misses Earth, so no one will be able to see a total solar eclipse this time,» NASA said in an explainer.

Don’t write this one off because it’s «just» a partial eclipse.

«It should be a photogenic eclipse,» says Emily Rice, associate professor of astrophysics at the Macaulay Honors College of the City University of New York.

Rice says to protect your camera with a solar filter and get ready to capture some scenery.

«The sun will be low in the sky for most observers, so you can get trees, buildings or other landscape features in a shot with the Pac-Man sun,» she says.

Where can I see the solar eclipse?

Eclipse viewers in parts of North America, Africa, Asia and Europe will be able to catch at least some of the show. Greenland, Iceland and some small regions of South America are also in the path, as are wide areas of the Atlantic and Arctic oceans. The northeastern US is the only part of the country that will be in the eclipse path.

NASA’s eclipse map shows where the eclipse will be visible. The curved yellow lines indicate the maximum percentage of the sun that will be covered. The green lines indicate time. The looping orange lines indicate sunrise and sunset. If that’s confusing, just check your location with Timeanddate.com for details on timing and coverage.

When is the solar eclipse?

Viewers in the northeastern US should put the coffee pot on an automatic timer. The eclipse will already be in process at sunrise. That’s 6:55 a.m. ET for Baltimore, 6:31 a.m. for Boston and 6:44 a.m. for New York City. Washington, DC. should be on eclipse lookout starting at 6:56 a.m. The eclipse will be at its maximum very close to sunrise in these locations.

Places like Baltimore will get to see only a little bit of shadow for a few minutes, so it’s a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it situation.

Portland, Maine, residents will have one of the best views in the US. Partial viewing begins at 6:27 a.m. with maximum at 6:30 a.m. and the end of the eclipse coming at 7:10 a.m. You’ll get to see 64% coverage of the sun, according to NASA. Compare that with Baltimore’s 3%.

Eclipse fans in other parts of the world won’t have to get up so early. Dublin witnesses the eclipse late morning, while Paris will see the eclipse at maximum right around noon local time.

Livestream the solar eclipse

Most of the US will be out of luck when it comes to seeing the eclipse in person, but that doesn’t mean you have to miss out on the fun. Timeanddate.com is running a livestream so anyone can enjoy the view. It starts bright and early at 5:30 a.m. ET on March 29.

The Royal Observatory Greenwich in the UK goes live with its eclipse coverage at 6 a.m. ET.

Protect your eyes during a solar eclipse

The lunar eclipse earlier in March didn’t require fancy eyewear, but the solar eclipse does. Eye safety is key.

«Because the sun is never completely covered, observers must use proper eye protection at all times while watching this eclipse,» NASA cautions.

That means it’s time to dig out your protective solar eclipse eyewear.

«The upcoming partial eclipse is why I encourage people to keep their ‘eclipse» glasses’ — which would more accurately be called ‘sun viewers’ because they can be used to observe the sun any time,» Rice says. Here’s how to tell if your glasses are safe.

No glasses? No problem. Make a pinhole projector.

«Stand facing away from the sun and use the viewer to cast a shadow and you can see the eclipsed shape of the sun,» Rice says. She also encourages viewers to examine dappled shadows around them, looking for changes in the shape.

Solar and lunar eclipses happen throughout the year, but each is a special moment. It’s worth a sunrise sojourn outside to witness a cosmic trick of the light.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Friday, Jan. 16

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Jan. 16.

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? I thought it was exceptionally tough today, and was convinced 1-Across was «MAD» Max. (Spoiler, it’s not.) I also figured 1-Down was BOOZE, which did not work with 1-Across, and was wrong either way. 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: ___ Max
Answer: HBO

4A clue: Where Marco Polo is played
Answer: POOL

5A clue: Overwhelming amount, metaphorically
Answer: FLOOD

6A clue: Reason for success in games like Candy Land and Chutes and Ladders
Answer: LUCK

7A clue: «That’s just the worst»
Answer: UGH

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Liquor, informally
Answer: HOOCH

2D clue: Winner of a Booker prize, fittingly
Answer: BOOK

3D clue: Antiquated
Answer: OLD

4D clue: Give a short promotion for
Answer: PLUG

5D clue: Winter malady
Answer: FLU

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Technologies

If the Verizon Outage Left Your iPhone Stuck in SOS Mode, Here’s How to Fix It

Even when you’re in an area with good cellular coverage, your iPhone status might read SOS. Here’s what to know.

Did you get caught up in Verizon’s massive outage this week? Millions of customers saw «SOS» at the top of their phone screen instead of the usual graph of connection bars. Verizon has since restored service, but some people are still seeing those three letters or getting spotty reception.

Unfortunately, when the network is down, there’s not a lot you can do to get reconnected — you have to wait for service to resume. But you could also see the same thing with any mobile provider when you venture out of cellular range or even when riding the subway. Still, seeing «SOS» on your iPhone can still make you anxious.

Let’s take a look at what Apple’s Emergency SOS modes are and see what you can do when your iPhone gets stuck in them, even after service is back online.

What exactly are Apple’s Emergency SOS modes?

When you see «SOS» as the status, it refers to a feature on the Apple iPhone (14 and newer) called Emergency SOS via Satellite, which lets you contact emergency services and share your location with them, even if you don’t have cellular network service. It’s a way to stay connected even when you’re out of coverage areas. For example, if you’re hiking in a remote wilderness and get injured, you can still contact emergency services.

Emergency SOS via Satellite is a separate feature from another feature on every iPhone, called simply Emergency SOS. That one requires an active service connection and calls your local emergency number, and shares your location information with emergency services.

So what’s the problem with SOS mode?

Once your iPhone loses service and enters its SOS mode, your device may struggle to reconnect to your network, even if you’re back in an area with service. You might notice that someone else in the area has service while you don’t, or vice versa. Fortunately, there are several ways to address this issue.

Read more: Best iPhone in 2026

What to do if you’re stuck in SOS mode

According to Apple, if you see «SOS» or «SOS only» in the status bar, you can do the following to help your device find a cellular network:

Make sure that you’re in an area with cellular network coverage. You can check in with people around you who appear to have service or verify with your service provider.
Turn your cellular data off and on. Go to Settings > Cellular and toggle Cellular Data on and off.
Restart your iPhone. On the iPhone X and later models, hold either of the volume buttons and the side button until the power off slider appears, and then drag the slider. Wait 30 seconds, then press and hold the side button to turn your iPhone back on. If you have an older iPhone model, here’s how to restart it.
Check for a carrier settings update. Your carrier may send out a carrier settings update to improve your cellular network connectivity and performance. As long as you’re connected to the internet, go to Settings > General > About and check to see if an update is available.
Turn your cellular line off and on. Go to Settings > Cellular > your phone number and toggle your cellular line on and off. If you’re not using an eSIM, remove the SIM card from your phone and reinsert it.
Update your iPhone. If the software has a bug, it may be causing issues with your cellular service. To check for a software update, go to Settings > General > Software Update. You’ll need internet for this to work, so Wi-Fi would be your only option if you can’t connect to cellular.
Reset your network settings. WARNING: This will reset all your Wi-Fi networks and passwords, cellular settings, and VPN settings. Only do this if you’ve tried all of the above first. If you’re fine with that, go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset > Reset Network Settings.

Lastly, if network connection issues persist, Apple suggests contacting your phone carrier to determine if there are any issues with your carrier or account that could be affecting your service, such as another outage in your area or an unpaid account.

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.»