Tech

NASA shares Psyche spacecrafts photos of Mars – Engadget

Psyche did a Martian flyby to get gravity assist from the red planet.

NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU

NASA has released the images Psyche took when it did a Mars flyby to get a gravity assist from the red planet on its way to themetallic asteroid 16 Psyche. One of the photos, which you can see above, shows theHuygens double-ring crater. Psyche took an image of the crater, measuring 290 miles in diameter, shortly after its closest proach with the planet. The various colors in the image are a result of the differences in the composition of dust, sand and bedrock, though NASA enhanced the colors to make them more pronounced.

Psyche was also able to take a high-resolution photo of the southern pole of Marsafter its closest proach. The Martian south pole has vast fields of water ice that remain in that state all year round, and they show up as a bright spot in the image.

NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU

Before Psyche took those images, however, the spacecraft took a photo showing a crescent Mars. It was the view the spacecraft saw as it proached Mars from high up, as the planet’s surface reflected sunlight. NASA says the crescent peared brighter and extended farther than the Martian surfacebecause sunlight was also reflected by the planet’s dusty atmosphere.

NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU

After getting gravity assist from Mars, Psyche will resume using itssolar-electric propulsion system to continue its journey. The spacecraft started its six-year tripto its namesake asteroid back in October 2023. During the flyby, it got closer to Mars than the planet’s own moons and passedwithin 2,800 miles of its surface at its closest proach. The spacecraft is expected to reach its destination in 2029, after which it will spend two years orbiting and observing the asteroid. 16 Psyche is the largest known metallic asteroid in our solar system, and scientists believe data from observing it could give us insight about the formation of our own planet’s core.

Tech

Check out Meshchera, an atmospheric match-three game for Playdate set in a haunted marsh – Engadget

Spiders? Skeletons? Bad omens? My kind of party.

khvoshch

I almost don’t want to call Meshchera a match-three game because I fear that kind of undersells how ctivating it is. But, it is a game you play within a six by six grid, in which you have to group matching tiles in clusters of three or more so they may merge and become other, higher value tiles, so that’s the description we’re working with. The atmosphere is off the charts, though, which isn’t something I’m used to finding in these types of games. It has gorgeously detailed artwork and background music that you can get completely lost in.

In Meshchera, you can choose to go for the high score or pick from several challenges that will dictate how you proach the round, like “kill five monsters” or “keep 10 monsters for 10 turns.” The gameboard is a dark marsh that will slowly become overrun with vegetation and creatures, unless you can stay ahead of creep by skillfully matching tiles to condense them into other things. Grasses become flowers, which become trees, campfires, houses, churches, etc. It is a uniquely complex matching game — you’re given next to no information about how the items work or how different elements on the board behave and interact, so you have to figure it out along the way and course-correct as you learn.

khvoshch

I’ve spent quite a bit of time playing Meshchera over the last week, but certain things still elude me. Take the “create and destroy a Monster” challenge. I have absolutely no idea how to create a monster, and that’s not for lack of trying. But, this gives me something to keep working toward even as my high scores nudge higher and higher. The game includes 10 challenges right now, and the developer says more are coming soon. Meshchera is really good, and feels like the kind of game you can revisit ad infinitum. It’s already found itself a home in my folder of “go-to” Playdate games.

Tech

'Marshals' Release Schedule: When the Finale Hits Paramount Plus

Marshals, a new Yellowstonespinoff starringLuke Grimes as Kayce Dutton, is airing on CBS right now. You can also tune in with Paramount Plus. The Yellowstone sequel series sees Grimes’ former Navy SEAL join an elite unit of US Marshals to bring range justice to Montana, according to asynopsis fromCBS.

The show includes Yellowstone actors Gil Birmingham as Thomas Rainwater, Mo Brings Plenty as Mo and Brecken Merrill as Tate. Spencer Hudnut is the showrunner of Marshals — formerly known as Y: Marshals — and Taylor Sheridan is an executive producer.

When to watch new Marshals episodes on Paramount Plus

Episode 13 of Marshals airs on CBS on Sunday, May 24. Viewing options forParamount Pluscustomers vary by subscription tier. You can watch the episode live if you haveParamount Plus Premium, which includes your local CBS station. If you subscribe toParamount Plus Essential, you can watch the installment on demand the following Monday, but not live on Sunday.

Episode 13, Wolves at the Door: Premieres on CBS/Paramount Plus Premium on May 24 at 8 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT/7 p.m. CT. Streams on Paramount Plus Essential on May 25.

You can also watch CBS and the finale of Marshals without cable with a live TVstreaming servicesuch asYouTube TV, Hulu Plus Live TV or the DirecTV MyNewsskinny bundle. In addition to offering a lower-cost option, Paramount Plus lets you watch the other three Yellowstone spinoffs: the prequels 1883 and 1923 and the sequel Dutton Ranch.

James Martin/CNET

After a price increase inearly 2026, the ad-supported Essential version runs $9 per month or $90 per year. The ad-free Premium version runs $14 per month or $140 per year. Paying more for Premium gives you downloads, the ability to watch more Showtime programming than Essential and access to your live, local CBS station.

Tech

Today's NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for May 25, #1079

Looking for the most recent 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, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

Today’s NYTConnections puzzleis a medium-tough one, I think. I recognized the blue category words right away. Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.

The Times has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a numeric score and to have the program analyze your answers. Players who are registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, including the number of puzzles completed, win rate, number of times they nabbed a perfect score and their win streak.

Hints for today’s Connections groups

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

Yellow group hint: It’s free!

Green group hint: Not a lot.

Blue group hint: OMG is another one.

Purple group hint: You see with them.

Answers for today’s Connections groups

Yellow group: Common promo items.

Green group: Tiny bit.

Blue group: Texting abbreviations.

Purple group: Eye ____.

What are today’s Connections answers?

The completed NYT Connections puzzle for May 25, 2026.

NYT/Screenshot by CNET

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is common promo items. The four answers are c, pin, shirt and sticker.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is tiny bit. The four answers are jot, scr, shred and whit.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is texting abbreviations. The four answers are ATM, CYA, LOL and TIA.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is eye ____. The four answers are ball, brow, lash and lid.

Tech

Today's Wordle Hints, Answer and Help for May 25, #1801

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’sWordle puzzleis a bit of a challenge. 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’sWordleanswer, 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 one vowel, but it’s the repeated letter, so you’ll see it twice.

Wordle hint No. 3: First letter

Today’s Wordle answer begins with V.

Wordle hint No. 4: Last letter

Today’s Wordle answer ends with T.

Wordle hint No. 5: Meaning

Today’s Wordle answer can refer to the act of going to a person or place for a short time to socialize.

TODAY’S WORDLE ANSWER

Today’s Wordle answer is VISIT.

Yesterday’s Wordle answer

Yesterday’s Wordle answer, May 24, No. 1800, was NIECE.

Recent Wordle answers

May 20, No. 1796: WRECK

May 21, No. 1797: AGREE

May 22, No. 1798: VOCAL

May 23, No. 1799: CHUCK

Tech

The White House is reportedly forcing its official app onto all government employee phones – Engadget

You gotta pump up those download numbers somehow.

Lucky-photogrher/

The Trump administration is planning to automatically install its White House p on government employees’ work phones, according to a report fromGovernment Executive. The report detailed that at least one agency will start installing the official White House p onto government devices as soon as next week, but the scope spans across “all government-furnished mobile phones in the executive branch,” according to internal emails seen byGov Exec.

However, the White House p could provide for privacy risks instead, according to some cybersecurity experts. Following the p’s release in March, early reports found that the p used location and raised concerns about how it could share personal data with third-party sources. Now that the p will be found on government employee phones, it could introduce even more security vulnerabilities.