Tech
Bootids Meteor Shower May Explode With Meteors or Fizzle Out: How to Watch
There are still tons of mysteries in the universe, and the Bootids meteor shower is one of them. The upcoming meteor shower occurs during the last week of June and the first few days of July, and it has the potential to be one of the weakest or strongest meteor showers of the year. How’s that for noncommital?
The Bootids meteor shower officially runs from June 22 to July 2, with a peak on the evening of June 26 and the morning of June 27. Its 10-day run is among the shortest of any named meteor showers.
Bootids is also the single most unpredictable meteor shower of the year in terms of how many visible meteors it can produce. It’s not terribly active during most years and produces proximately one or two meteors per hour during its peak. However, Bootids is known for having random outbursts, during which it produces as many meteors as the bigger meteor showers.
The most recent such occurrence was in 2004, and other big years include 1998, 1927, 1921 and 1916. The 1998 Bootids meteor shower is legendary, with reports of 100 meteors per hour. That’s as many as Perseids, which is arguably the most famous meteor shower of the year, and right up there with other active showers like Geminids and Quadrantids.
Since science hasn’t yet figured out how to reliably predict these outbursts, any year could be the next big one.
The Boötes constellation will be high in the southern sky right after sunset June 26.
How to see Bootids
All meteor showers take their name from the constellation where they pear to originate, a point known as the radiant. For Bootids, that’s the Boötes constellation.
Boötes sits high in the southern sky and will be immediately visible after sunset on June 26. It’s visible all night, dipping into the western sky overnight before nestling against the western horizon before sunrise. If you’re having trouble finding it, a night sky m like Stellarium or Time and Date can help you find it.
Follow standard tips for seeing any meteor shower. You want to get away from the city and suburbs to reduce noise pollution. (June’s moon will be about 90% full on June 26, which means you can’t esce all of the light pollution.)
Everything is easy from there. Settle into a comfortable spot, don’t use bright lights, and avoid magnification aids like binoculars and telescopes, as they obstruct your view and may cause you to miss a meteor.
How many meteors will Bootids produce?
Your guess is as good as anyone’s. The Bootids meteor shower typically produces a scant one or two meteors per hour.
However, these meteors are known for being slow, bright and long-lasting, so what few are likely to show up should be pretty easy to spot, even with June’s nearly full moon.
But prior outbursts of up to 100 meteors an hour took astronomers completely by surprise. Anything could hpen.
Why is Bootids so difficult to predict?
Every meteor shower has a parent body, such as a comet or asteroid, that leaves behind a trail of dust and debris. Earth moves through those trails of dust and debris, which then enter the atmosphere and produce meteor showers.
Most comets and asteroids leave a pretty consistent trail, which leads to fairly consistent meteor showers. You can count on Perseids to put on a decent show just about every year.
The Bootids meteor shower is just like the rest. Its parent comet is called 7P/Pons-Winnecke, which orbits the sun every 6.3 years and is highly affected by Jupiter’s gravity.
The difference is that 7P/Pons-Winnecke leaves an erratic, uneven trail of debris. When the Earth moves through this trail, it might pass through a weaker segment, producing only a handful of meteors, or through a stronger segment, producing dozens or more per hour. There’s no way to know for sure, you’ll just have to stay up and see for yourself.
Tech
Samsung unions voted in favor of deal that will give chip workers $400,000 in bonuses – Engadget
Bloomberg saysSamsung is slated to distribute KRW 40 trillion ($26.6 billion) for the payouts, and they average morearound $340,000 per employee based on its calculation. Regardless of the actual amount, people in Samsung’s top moneymaking division will be getting bonuses around thrice as large as their annual pay. The company will be paying out the bonuses in company stock over at least 10 years,contingent on the memory division making at least KRW 200 trillion ($133 billion) in annual profit from 2026 to 2028 and KRW 100 trillon ($66 billion) from 2029 to 2035.
The parties reached a deal a mere hour before the strike was set to begin, with help from South Korean Labor Minister Kim Young-hoon who stepped in to serve as mediator. Despite the majority voting in favor of the agreement, Bloomberg reported that the bonus structure is causing tension and fueling resentment between colleagues.
Samsung agreed to abolish worker’s bonus cs, as per the union’s demands, and to set aside 10.5 percent of its annual operating profits for the payouts. Workers in the chip division, which makes most of the company’s money, are getting 40 percent of the total bonus pool. Meanwhile, all the other divisions will have to divide the rest among themselves. Workers in Samsung’s smartphone, TV and home pliances units are only set to get around a KRW 6 million ($4,000) bonus, which is tiny compared to what the chip workers are getting. Within Samsung’s largest union, 80 percent reportedly voted for the wage agreement. But within the smaller union that represents more non-chip workers, only 21 percent voted in favor of it.
Tech
Today's NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Wednesday, May 27
Looking forthe most recentMini 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 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 visitCNET’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.
The completed NYT Mini Crossword puzzle for May 27, 2026.
Mini across clues and answers
1A clue: Rare U.S. bills
Answer: TWOS
5A clue: 94-foot-long model at the American Museum of Natural History
Answer: WHALE
6A clue: “Cool it, okay!”
Answer: RELAX
7A clue: Bohemian
Answer: ARTY
8A clue: Candy in a dispenser
Answer: PEZ
Mini down clues and answers
1D clue: When repeated, “It’ll be all right”
Answer: THERE
2D clue: Classic ballroom dance
Answer: WALTZ
3D clue: Maker of the Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Cream
Answer: OLAY
4D clue: Reason for an R rating
Answer: SEX
5D clue: Tortilla sandwich
Answer: WR
Tech
Sony abruptly shuts down online multiplayer game Destruction AllStars – Engadget
Hope you weren’t planning to queue up for the PS5 launch window title.
Destruction AllStars was one of the early wave of games available when Sony released the PlayStation 5, but it doesn’t seem to be sticking around for the console’s next act. Sony sent an alert out confirming thatthe live service game is no longer available to purchase and its servers have been shut down. “Due to ongoing technical issues, multiplayer services for Destruction AllStars on PlayStation 5 consoles shall remain offline and are no longer available,” the email reads, which is an oddly sudden finale for the game. Anyone who owns the title can access single-player content until November 25, and the destruction will be done after that date except for solo arcade modes, which Sony notes might have limited functionality since all servers will be shut down.
The game, which featured Twisted Metal-style chaotic vehicular arena battles, was a free title for PlayStation Plus members when it launched in February 2021. While most online multiplayer games rely on a steady stream of new content or battle passes to keep players around, this project went pretty quiet within a year of its release, which makes its ending a little less of a surprise. However, there didn’t pear to be any advanced messaging from Sony or developer Lucid Games about sunsetting the project, which is unusual. News first circulated about this change based on PlayStation notifications players saw. It seems likely that Destruction AllStars never found a sustainable audience in the ever-saturated market for games-as-a-service.
Tech
Prime Video: 11 of the Best Sci-Fi Movies You Should Stream Right Now
If you’re looking for a solid sci-fi movie to stream, head on over toPrime Video. I’m serious. The Amazon-owned streamer has film selections that any genre fan would love. Though you may need to spend some time scrolling through the content pages to find what you’re looking for.
You see, for every good sci-fi movie, Prime Video is stocked with a bunch of missable ones. You may want to bypass this part of the search process altogether. Well, you’re in luck, as I did a bunch of the heavy lifting for you. Below is a roundup of sci-fi movies on the platform worth watching. Keep in mind, these titles are all included with your Prime membership, so this list has nothing to do with add-on subscriptions or the films currently available for rent.
Every flavor of science fiction is at your disposal here, with stories about alien invasions and alternate dimensions to mad doctors and dystopian futures. Scroll on to find CNET’s roundup of the best sci-fi movies currently on Prime Video. I’ll regularly update this list, so be sure to check back each month.
Read more:Netflix’s 27 Best Sci-Fi TV Shows to Stream Right Now
John Dies at the End is based on the book by Jason Pargin (who wrote under the pen name David Wong). You could categorize this movie as sci-fi, as horror and as comedy, and you’d be correct all three times. Don Coscarelli directed the film, which follows two slacker friends who travel to other dimensions after taking a drug called Soy Sauce. Oh, and they must save the planet from monsters, aliens and inter-dimensional beasts.
- Director: Don Coscarelli
- Stars: Chase Williamson, Rob Mayes, Paul Giamatti, Clancy Brown, Glynn Turman, Doug Jones
- Running time: 99 minutes
Edgar Wright came through with a flashy remake of the ’80s cult classic. What’s different about this Running Man? There’s no Arnold Schwarzenegger or Richard Dawson, but the movie absolutely strikes a chord. And, it’s truer to the Stephen King (I mean, Richard Bachman) short story. Basically, the idea here is that it’s the future, and people love this reality TV show that follows a man who is hunted everywhere he goes. If he survives, he wins a fortune. Yeah, I’d watch that.
- Director: Edgar Wright
- Stars: Glen Powell, Lee Pace, Emilia Jones, Michael Cera, Colman Domingo, Josh Brolin
- Running time: 134 minutes
This sleeper sci-fi flick was a covert spinoff of monster disaster movie Cloverfield. Most of the film takes place in a bunker and follows two people who are being held ctive by a doomsday prepper convinced that the world is under attack. Spoiler: It is.
- Director: Dan Trachtenberg
- Stars: Mary Elizabeth Winstead, John Goodman, John Gallagher Jr.
- Running time: 103 minutes
You could absolutely consider Re-Animator to be a horror movie — and it is. But the subject matter of life regeneration in this H.P. Lovecraft-inspired B-movie classic puts it in the sci-fi category, as well. It’s campy, gory and peak ’80s fun. You’re welcome.
- Director: Stuart Gordon
- Stars: Jeffrey Combs, Bruce Abbott, Barbara Crampton, David Gale
- Running time: 86 minutes
The Janese cult classic takes place in a dystopian reality where high school students are forced by the government to go on a killing spree against each other until there’s one survivor left. There have been a bunch of comparisons between this movie and other dystopian titles, like The Hunger Games, but Battle Royale stands the test of time for its extreme violence, dark humor and sociopolitical themes.
- Director: Kinji Fukasaku
- Stars: Tatsuya Fujiwara, Aki Maeda, Taro Yamamoto
- Running time: 114 minutes
There are time loop movies, and then there’s Triangle. This is a little underdog of a movie filled with enough twists and terror to keep you invested. Heck, it burrowed itself into my brain when I first saw it in 2009 and stayed there for a while. The movie follows a woman named Jess as she struggles to survive a killer on a deserted boat. Sounds simple enough, but things go haywire rather quickly.
- Director: Christopher Smith
- Stars: Melissa George, Joshua McIvor, Jack Taylor, Michael Dorman, Henry Nixon, Liam Hemsworth
- Running time: 99 minutes
Highlander follows an immortal man named Connor MacLeod (Christopher Lambert) who faces off in a centuries-long battle against five immortal enemies in the streets of New York City. This movie is peak ’80s sci-fi, which means if you’re looking for an action movie that leans heavily into the schlocky absurdity of the genre, this is the title for you.
- Director: Russell Mulcahy
- Stars: Christopher Lambert, Sean Connery, Roxanne Hart, Clancy Brown
- Running time: 111 minutes
What if there were a pill that could turn any person into a hyperintelligent super genius? Limitless aims to answer that question. The movie stars Bradley Cooper as Eddie Morra, a down-on-his-luck writer who takes the untested drug and uses it to massively level up his life. Of course, what goes up must come down, and Eddie soon finds out that sometimes, it’s best to leave mysterious meds alone.
- Director: Neil Burger
- Stars: Bradley Cooper, Robert De Niro, Abbie Cornish, Johnny Whitworth, Andrew Howard, Hill Harper, Richard Bekins, Daniel Breaker, Robert John Burke
- Running time: 105 minutes
Chris Pratt stars in this action movie that follows a group of soldiers who travel back in time to warn of a future where humanity is losing the war against an army of alien invaders. Mankind’s only hope lies in a group of would-be heroes who are tped to travel to the future in order to save the present.
- Director: Chris McKay
- Stars: Chris Pratt, Yvonne Strahovski, Betty Gilpin, Jasmine Mathews, Sam Richardson, J.K. Simmons
- Running time: 138 minutes
A Quiet Place: Day One takes audiences back to the very beginning of the alien invasion. While it may not be a necessary entry in the franchise — like, say, 10 Cloverfield Lane — the movie digs its heels into the human experience amid an otherworldly cataclysmic disaster. Come for the disaster, stay for the cute cat.
- Director: Michael Samoski
- Stars: Joseph Quinn, Lupita Nyong’o, Alex Wolff, Djimon Hounsou, Thea Butler, Denis O’Hare
- Running time: 99 minutes
This mind-bending cult classic stars Jake Gyllenhaal as a misunderstood high schooler who, after seemingly surviving a horrific accident, begins traveling through time. In the process, he discovers the joy of being alive and in love. Themes of depression, repression and alternative universes fill this delightfully bizarre film. Also, let’s not forget that giant demon bunny named Frank.
- Director: Richard Kelly
- Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Drew Barrymore, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Seth Rogen, Jena Malone, Patrick Swayze, Mary McDonnell, Noah Wyle
- Running time: 113 minutes
Tech
Today's NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for May 27, #611
Looking for the most recentregular 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’sConnections: Sports Editionpuzzle grid isfilled with a bunch of letter groups that don’t really read as words. If you’re struggling with the 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 pear in the NYT Games p, but it does in The Athletic’s own p. 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: Change the channel.
Green group hint: Three strikes, you’re out.
Blue group hint: Hut-hut!
Purple group hint: Not Jones.
Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups
Yellow group: Sports TV networks.
Green group: Baseball positions, abbreviated.
Blue group: Football positions, abbreviated.
Purple group: ____ Smith.
Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words
What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?
The completed NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for May 27, 2026.
The yellow words in today’s Connections
The theme is sports TV networks. The four answers are ESPN, FS1, NBA TV and NBCSN.
The green words in today’s Connections
The theme is baseball positions, abbreviated. The four answers are C, OF, P and SS.
The blue words in today’s Connections
The theme is football positions, abbreviated. The four answers are CB, DT, K and TE.
The purple words in today’s Connections
The theme is ____ Smith. The four answers are JR, Lovie, Ozzie and Stan.
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