Hold on tight, spider-monkey.Thats right, LEGO is teaming up with Lionsgate to build a set based on the ever-so-popular (or infamous, depending on who you talk to) The Twilight Saga. One of the highest-grossing film franchises of all time, Twilight (2008) and its subsequent sequels have remained relevant in the pop culture eye despite the films 20th anniversary looming.More and more over the last few years, LEGO has based sets off popular brands and intellectual properties, focusing more on IP-driven products than ever before. Some of the groups most significant licenses include blockbuster franchises such as Star Wars, Harry Potter, Marvel, and Super Mario. But the Danish toymaker hasnt shied away from more niche exports, with sets inspired by lesser-known brands such as Tron, Trolls, and Horizon leading the pack. Even compared to those, is Twilight too outside the realm of normalcy for LEGO?The LEGO set, 21354: The Cullen House, was selected as the 62nd Ideas project to be made into an official productreleasing in early February for devotees across the globe. LEGO Ideas is a website where builders can pitch their own concepts for future sets, and fans can vote on the ideas theyd like to see made. Once a project hits 10,000 supporters, LEGO then officially considers it for production, with only a handful physically being made. There is obviously some level of demand for a LEGO Twilight set, but recent trends suggest LEGO could be overestimating its potential reach.Do Twilight fans and LEGO fans have a significant crossover? Moreover, will Twilight fans be willing to fork over $219.99 for a LEGO set of their favorite movie?Its clear Twilight aficionados still love their soapy teen romance with a vampiric twist. The film has experienced resurgences on streaming, and edits of iconic couples from the motion picture occupy a particular corner of TikTok, a la some popular Tumblr accounts circa 2010. Twilight fans are also no stranger to mass merchandising. From makeup lines like ColourPop to vinyl figures from Funko, there is no shortage of swag to buy from the saga. A LEGO set appears to be the logical next step.However, some recent LEGO offerings suggest the Twilight set might have an uphill battle when it comes to breaking through with the two brands respective audiences. In late 2021, LEGO released 10291: Queer Eye The Fab 5 Loft. Based on the long-running Netflix reality series of the same name, the Queer Eye set replicated the gangs iconic loft and some specific transformations from the series. While the product itself was expertly designed, it didnt sell. In fact, The Fab 5 loft was a shelf-warmer despite heavy discounts from most retailers. The set is worth less now than its retail, despite retiring at the end of 2022.Another peculiar LEGO release occurred in the spring of 2023, when the group extended its reach into K-pop. Another Ideas set, this time 21339: BTS Dynamite, witnessed a similar fate to Queer Eye before it. Despite being tied to one of the most prominent music groups in the world, the BTS set didnt sell. Even significant clearance couldnt traffic this set.Both Queer Eye and BTS are examples of LEGO overestimating how much crossover between fanbases there actually is. Yes, Queer Eye is a beloved reality show, and BTS is a cultural phenomenon, but their fans arent necessarily LEGO fans. In turn, these supporters clearly didnt want to shell out the $99.99 retail price for both of these set releases, even if the product was nicely designed. LEGO Twilight could be in danger of suffering the same fate. The Cullen House set is even more expensive than the aforementioned kits, ringing in at a grand total of $219.99. The price isnt unfair, seeing as the set contains over 2,000 pieces, but its a pretty penny to pay for an item thatll take up a significant amount of space. Perhaps Twilight supporters will turn out in droves for the upcoming release of 21354, but recent LEGO history suggests with another dust collector.You can preorder the LEGO Ideas 21354: Twilight The Cullen House online here.

Dr. Michael Robby Rabinavitch has to pee. The senior attending at Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Hospital played by Noah Wyle makes this announcement midway through the third episode of the Max medical drama The Pitt. Before he can get to the bathroom, however, he first has to oversee two simultaneous open-heart surgeries. Then must speak with a mother and father about their sons fentanyl overdose. Amid all that chaos he resolves to keep an eye on a fourth-year medical student at the learning hospital who just lost his first patient.By the time Robby finally unzips in front of a urinal hes interrupted yet again by Dr. Frank Langdon (Patrick Ball) who needs a cardiovert unstable AFib in North 1. The addendum that the systolics 90 is enough for Robby to abandon his urination mission altogether and rush out of the bathroom to more chaos. Things move pretty quickly in the emergency department at Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Hospital, which Robby calls The Pitt. And that goes not only for the shows characters, but its audience as well. Because like the great Fox espionage thriller 24 before it, The Pitt operates in real time or close to it.There is no ticking clock at the bottom of the screen on The Pitt but each of the shows 15 episodes is designed to roughly correspond to an hour spent during a 15-hour shift in the titular Pitt. The series follows a weekly release model and the three episodes released thus far are titled 7:00 A.M., 8:00 A.M., and 9:00 A.M. None of these episodes are precisely 60 minutes long but they come close enough in the 51-53-minute range. The real-time format is far from The Pitts only selling point. Starring ERs Wyle and created by former ER writer R. Scott Gemmill, the series is essentially a heightened version of the long-running NBC medical classic with an added prestige streaming sheen. In fact, The Pitt studio Warner Bros. Television was hit with a lawsuit from the Michael Crichton estate, which alleged that the show was a reworking of an ER spinoff. The Pitt is also one of the first post-Covid hospital dramas to use the pandemic as a thematic grounding rod. Dr. Robby still clearly bears the mental and physical scars of being an healthcare worker during that traumatic time.Still, its the real-time aspect that gives The Pitt its greatest competitive advantage over comparable TV properties. The pace of the show is quite simply relentless. Very rarely do Robby and his fellow doctors exit one scene to enter into a calmer one. Its early in the day in Western Pennsylvania and the emergencies continue to mount up. At one point the socially awkward former veteran affairs doctor Melissa Mel King (Taylor Dearden) steps outside for a breather only to be immediately met by a van tearing into the parking lot to dump off a gunshot wound victim.How realistic this confluence of emergencies is for one hospital is up for debate, though for whats its worth, many real-life healthcare professionals have commended the show for its accurate depiction of the doctor-patient dynamic and the deployment of proper medical jargon (see: cardiovert unstable AFib). But whats not debatable about The Pitts breakneck approach is that it works. In fact, through its first few episodes its already working better than the pioneer of the real-time TV season format.24 was not the first TV series or movie to utilize a running clock as a plot device. It was, however, the first to make the connection that there are 24 hours in a day and TV seasons of hour-long dramas tend to run in the 20-25-episode range, creating the opportunity for the mythical day-long televised experience (with commercials, of course). The idea for 24s format was so strong that it preceded the plot of the show itself. Creators Joel Surnow and Robert Cochran originally intended for their series to document the dramatic 24-hour period in advance of a wedding before shifting to an action concept featuring the head of the Counter Terrorist Unit racing against the clock to save his daughter.The thing about 24 though is that 24 hours is truly So. Many. Hours. The writers and producers of the series would invariably run into this realization time and time again. Of the shows eight proper seasons (outside of the TV movie 24: Redemption and spinoff 24: Live Another Day), only season 4 really attempted to follow one concurrent terrorist plot over the span of a full day to narratively messy results. The other seven seasons took the far more sensible approach of breaking their 24 hours into two distinct storytelling blocks: one in which Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) saved the day, and another in which he uncovered the real big bad behind the terrorist conspiracy.At only 15 hours, The Pitt appears to have learned the right lessons from its real-time progenitor just as its learned the right lessons from its medical drama forefathers. Viewers dont need to see a running clock to feel the tension, nor do they need a full 24-hour period to get the bit. Viewers need only consistent escalation and movement. Thus far, The Pitt has found a way to work with its gimmick rather than become beholden to it. By the time episode 4 opens at 10:00 A.M. Eastern Time, Dr. Michael Robby Rabinavitch will still have to pee. The tension of whether he makes it to the bathroom before the next emergency will have the same dramatic weight of Jack Bauer defusing a bomb.The first three episodes of The Pitt are available to stream on Max now. New episodes premiere Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on Max.Join our mailing listGet the best of Den of Geek delivered right to your inbox!

Apple Watch Ultra, outside of a very nice new titanium black, hasnt been meaningfully upgraded since 2023. But later this year thats going to change when the Apple Watch Ultra 3 arrives. Here are three new features coming to the Apple Watch Ultra 3.High blood pressure detectionNew health features are one thing you can consistently expect from Apple Watch upgrades. According to Mark Gurman, this year Apple is planning to introduce high blood pressure detection:The blood-pressure featureis designed to work in a similar way to Apples sleep apnea detector. It wont give users specific readings such as diastolic or systolic levels but it will inform them that they may be in a state of hypertension.Gurman notes that this project has been years in the making, and has faced delays before, but a launch this year is currently planned.Satellite messaging sans iPhoneApple Watch Ultra has always been geared toward adventurers and explorers, despite the product gaining plenty of fans with more casual needs. With the Ultra 3, Apple will add a new capability designed especially for those who enjoy going off the grid.Messaging over satellite is coming to the Apple Watch Ultra 3.Heres Gurman again:The technology will let smartwatch users send off-the-grid text messages via Globalstar Inc.s fleet of satellites when they dont have a cellular or Wi-Fi connection.iPhone users have had this technology for a few years, and it got even better with a critical iOS 18 update. The Apple Watch, however, has never gotten its own satellite connectivity. With the new Ultra 3 it will be easier than ever for users to leave their iPhone behind to truly embrace the outdoors.5G cellular for the first timebetter battery life that's the biggest factor to upgrade, let the watch go all the way to 72h at least. if they can do that I will definitely buy it. if they can do that plus something else I would like a more conformable form factor. on the software side they should let you use the watch buttons only when you are working out. View all commentsThis third upgrade also focuses on connectivity. Whereas previous Apple Watch Ultra models have been limited to 4G LTE connectivity, Apple plans to bring 5G to the Ultra 3 this year.This upgrade will reportedly take the form of 5G Redcap, a less power-hungry version of 5G. Redcap cant hit the same max speeds as your iPhones 5G, but it will ensure your Watch doesnt take a big battery hit either.Apple Watch Ultra 3 wrap-upThe new Apple Watch Ultra 3 isnt expected to arrive until the fall, so theres still plenty of time for additional feature leaks to happen. Perhaps well get even better battery performance this time around, for example. But for now at least, it sounds like Apple is doubling down on the Ultra 3 as the ultimate Watch for adventurers.What new features do you want to see in the Apple Watch Ultra 3? Let us know in the comments.Best Apple Watch accessoriesAdd 9to5Mac to your Google News feed. FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.Youre reading 9to5Mac experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Dont know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

Apple TV+ just wrapped up Silo season 2, but the series has already been picked up for seasons 3 and 4. Now, the shows creator has revealed a big visual change to expect in the next season.Showrunner on Silo season 3: there will be sunshineModern TV shows can at times be poorly lit.Call it the Game of Thrones problem, since some of that shows most expensive and anticipated episodes famously were too dark for lots of viewers to see what was happening on-screendespite the big budgets.Silos first two seasons have similarly been pretty dark, with season 2 being especially problematic.But Silos creator and showrunner, Graham Yost, shared in a new interview that things are changing in season 3. **minor spoilers ahead**Yost was asked if that season 2 finale cliffhanger was any indication of changes of scenery coming next season. He confirmed it was.Matt Webb Mitovich writes at TVLine with Yosts reply:So yes, we will be outdoors, and we will be in the world, and there will be sunshine, Yost said, speaking to the parts of Season 3 that will be brighter.That said. We do go back to Silo 17 in Season 3, he noted. And remember, theyve got a very big power issue there, so they dont have a lot of light.So theres hope for season 3 yet.The new season is expected to bounce between book 2 in the Silo trilogywhich follows the characters introduced upon season 2s endand book 3, interweaving the two stories similar to how this past season followed separate silos.Thus, good chunks of the show should be much brighter and easier to see than ever. But well still be due for some dark Silo 17 scenes too.Did you have trouble seeing Silo season 2 because of it was too dark? Let us know in the comments.Best Apple TV and Home accessoriesAdd 9to5Mac to your Google News feed. FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.Youre reading 9to5Mac experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Dont know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

That's a *lot* of money.Big SpendersReturning president Donald Trump is preparing to approve a $500 billion investment into private sector-developed AI infrastructure, according to reporting from CBS.The project is reportedly a joint venture between ChatGPT creator OpenAI, the Japanese investment group SoftBank, and the software behemoth Oracle, and will see the building of new datacenters in short, massive, wildly energy-intensive computing facilities in the US. The first of these facilities, according to the report, will be constructed somewhere in Texas.The effort is reportedly called "Stargate," because of course it is. More investors are reportedly expected to join the project, though it's unclear who they might be.The money going into this thing is staggering: company executives are "expected to say they plan to commit $100 billion initially," reads the CBS report, and "pour up to $500 billion into Stargate over the next four years."News of Stargate's forthcoming announcement comes fresh on the heels of the Trump Administration's reversal of the Biden-era executive order on AI which, though largely vague and legally toothless, provided some kind of regulatory roadmap for AI development and investment in the US.Now, with the repeal of that order, the AI industry is once again free to enjoy a deregulatory playground. And Trump, in addition to making good on his campaign promise to axe the Biden-era AI roadmap, appears to be giving AI's private sector the green light to compute, baby, compute.ForeshadowingWe should note that executives for SoftBank and OpenAI declined to comment on the deal. But OpenAI CEO Sam Altman attended this week's inauguration and, like many other high-powered tech executives in recent weeks, donated cash to Trump's inaugural fund. Oracle CEO Larry Ellison, meanwhile, is a longtime Trump ally and donor, and Softbank CEO and billionaire Masayoshi Son was one of many tech leaders to take a trip to Trump's Mar-a-Lago estatepost-election.As the New York Times reported at the time, Trump declared during a December press conference that SoftBank would be making a $100 billion investment intoUSprojects,and that the investment would center on tech and AI. The announcement was otherwise scant on details, but it's hard to imagine Trump's statement wasn't in reference to the reported Stargate venture.More on Trump and AI: A Peek Into Trump's AI Border DystopiaShare This Article

"The Brutalist" director Brady Corbet has confirmed that his critically acclaimed historical drama used AI in post-production to clean up Adrien Brody's and Felicity Jones' Hungarian accents though he insists it didn't impact the authenticity of their performances."Adrien and Felicity's performances are completely their own. They worked for months with dialect coach Tanera Marshall to perfect their accents," the American filmmaker and actor told . "Innovative Respeecher technology was used in Hungarian language dialogue editing only, specifically to refine certain vowels and letters for accuracy. No English language was changed."Corbet also confirmed claims that generative AI was used to help "conjure" architectural drawings shown in the coda of the film, but emphasized that the final images were human-made."All images were hand-drawn by artists," Corbet said, with the ones in question "intentionally designed to look like poor digital renderings" of their era.The ambitious 215 minute-long epic follows a fictional Jewish Hungarian man named Lszl Tth (Brody), who emigrates to the US after being separated from his family and surviving the Holocaust. An acclaimed architect in Europe, Tth lives in poverty and remains unrecognized in the New World until he's re-discovered by an American businessman, played by Guy Pearce, who makes Tth a lucrative job offer.The controversy surrounding the film kicked off last week after an interview with editor Dvid Jancs was . Jancs said that the production turned to software called Respeecher to clean up Brody and Jones' dialog after the ADRstage a process in which certain lines of dialogue are re-recorded in post didn't pan out, a decision that both leads were fully on board with, Jancs said.A native speaker, Jancs fed his own speech into the tool to help refine the Hungarian delivery. He argued that using Respeecher simply sped up something they could have done manually."It's mainly just replacing letters here and there," he told Red Shark. "You can do this in ProTools yourself, but we had so much dialogue in Hungarian that we really needed to speed up the process otherwise we'd still be in post."Jancs also revealed generative AI's use in "conjuring" architectural drawings, but was vague on the extent of the tech's involvement. We find clarification in a from 2022, in which Corbet's production designer Judy Becker says that movie's architecture consultant used Midjourney "to create three Brutalist buildings quite quickly" as mockups to be redrawn by a human illustrator.It's worth noting that "The Brutalist" is considered one of the favorites to clean up this awards season, so the timing of these revelations is a little suspect. Nonetheless, they've now been confirmed albeit a little downplayed by the director himself.We should also note that the film has been lauded for being made on just a $10 million budget. Many framed it as providing a sustainable model for the moribund low to mid-budget mode of filmmaking.That model may become less appealing to artists after learning about AI tools' involvement, however minor. But perhaps the writing has been on the wall. Many films, from indie horror flicks to huge blockbusters like "Alien: Romulus," have admitted to using AI in some shape or form. And though each has received significant backlash, it's hard to say that it's hurt their success.More on AI: Nicolas Cage Warns Young Actors About AIShare This Article

Time zones: EST (UTC -5), CST (UTC -6), MST (UTC -7), PST (UTC -8), AKST (UTC -9), HST (UTC -10)About the roleWe are looking for an ambitious Staff Software Engineer who wants to make an impact at a mission-driven company. You are excited to work with a low-ego, highly collaborative team and take on a high level of responsibility across many projects.FreeWill has set compensation and a non-negotiation policy for fairness reasons (we don't think that an individual's pay should be determined by how comfortable they are negotiating). As a result, we like to be transparent and up front about the compensation. When we make an offer, we provide multiple options so that employees can choose between compensation packages that prioritize salary or stock options. The salary range for this role is $215,000-230,000. This role is also eligible for a signing bonus and will come with stock options and full benefits.ResponsibilitiesDefine and shape the architectural direction of FreeWills engineering efforts, building scalable systems that drive our future product innovations.Play a lead role in establishing our technical roadmap and engineering culture.Ideate and own the delivery of impactful technical initiatives, effectively soliciting team support and connecting deliverables to business value.Mentor engineers across seniority levels, fostering an inclusive culture that empowers engineers to leap forwards in their careersContinually elevate the teams proficiency with modern web tooling, while demonstrating the adaptability to deliver high-value solutions in unfamiliar problem contexts.Technical Skills10+ years building production systems for complex web applicationsExtensive experience leading projects on teams of varying compositions, from single-engineer efforts to fully staffed multi-disciplinary teams.Early startup experience preferredStrong proficiency with modern web architecture including Node.js, Typescript, React, cloud infrastructure (AWS preferred), SQL, API design, continuous integration, and automated testing.Familiarity with DevOps practices and tooling, including infrastructure-as-code, CI/CD, and monitoring is a strong plus.Hiring Process The hiring process for this role is as follows:Recruiter Phone Screen (30 minutes)Hiring Manager Interview (30 Minutes)Coding Screen (45 minutes)Super Day Interviews: 3 Final Interviews with FreeWill team members (separate interviews- between 45 minutes and 1 hour)Offer (contingent on positive references)Please note that steps in the hiring process can and may change and the Recruiter will be your point of contact in sharing about any updates in terms of the process. If you are selected to move forward in this process, the Recruiter will share more details about the hiring process and interviewers. However, this is a good estimate of what you can expect. For most roles, our hiring processes take an average of 4-6 weeks.BenefitsIn addition to the immense personal and professional satisfaction youll gain from helping to raise $1T for high impact nonprofits in a kind and joyful work environment, full time employees at FreeWill are eligible for the following benefits:Work from homeUnlimited PTOFlexible hoursCompetitive salaryCommuter benefitsCompany stock options401kMedical/Dental/Vision (some single coverage medical plans are 100% employer paid, subsidized rates for spousal, parent-child, and family coverage)Short-term and long-term disability insuranceLife and AD&D insuranceFree One Medical membershipPaid parental leave for all parentsPerksRegular (virtual) team events$250 monthly co-working budget which can be used for local co-working spaces$300 annual budget to outfit your home office or cover utility bills$1,000 referral bonuses for growing our FreeWill community$1,000 annual professional development budgetFreeWill is an equal opportunity employer and we value diversity. We are committed to finding talent that is not determined on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability status, or any other characteristic protected by law.We are a remote-first company thats able to hire in 47 states and D.C. Unfortunately, we are unable to hire in Colorado, Alabama, or Louisiana at this time. We also cant sponsor working visas, so all applicants will need to have work authorization in the US.Dont check off every box in the requirements listed above? Please apply anyway! Studies have shown that marginalized communities - such as women, LGBTQ+ and people of color - are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. FreeWill is dedicated to building an inclusive, diverse, equitable, and accessible workplace that fosters a sense of belonging so if youre excited about this role but your past experience doesnt align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to still consider submitting an application. You may be just the right candidate for this role or another one of our openings!

The Opportunity: We're seeking a proactive full-stack engineer to join a growing investment firm as their first technical hire. You'll work directly with the founder to build automated internal systems that drive business decisions, while having the opportunity to establish technical foundations across multiple domains.Salary: $5,500 - $6,000 per monthLocation: RemoteSchedule: Full-time - 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM ESTExperience: At least 3 years experience as a Digital Marketing SpecialistRequirements Your Goal: Build and maintain automated systems that transform our business operations, while establishing scalable technical infrastructure for future growth.1. You're a Self-Directed Builder:Take complete ownership of projects from conception to deploymentLearn and implement new technologies independentlyDrive technical decisions with minimal oversightCreate comprehensive documentation proactively2. You're a Technical Expert:Excel in TypeScript/JavaScript and Python developmentBuild efficient database solutionsImplement cloud-based infrastructureCreate robust automated systems3. You're a Systems Architect:Design scalable data collection pipelinesBuild secure automation workflowsCreate reliable monitoring solutionsOptimize for performance and maintainability4. You're a Collaborative Self-Starter:Thrive in fluid environmentsBalance autonomy with communicationEstablish technical best practicesDrive continuous improvementBenefits Competitive CompensationEarn between $5,500 - $6,000 per month (based on experience) Technical OwnershipShape the technical direction as first engineering hire Learning OpportunitiesWork across diverse technical domains Modern StackUse cutting-edge tools and technologies Direct ImpactExceptional learning and development opportunities

2025 is starting off with a bang for skygazers, with a planet parade coming to the skies tonight, Jan. 21. A planet parade is when several of our solar system's planets are visible in the night sky at the same time. There will be six planets visible this time around, including Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune and Uranus.The six planets were visible in the days immediately leading up to Jan. 21, and for about four weeks afterward. Mars, Venus, Jupiter and Saturn should be visible to the naked eye. You'll need a high-powered viewing device like a telescope to spot Neptune and Uranus.The best time to view the planets from the Northern Hemisphere will be just after sunset at around 8:30 p.m. local time. You still might be able to catch Venus, Saturn and Neptune on the horizon after that, but all three planets will be under the horizon by 11:30 p.m. to midnight depending on your location. After that, Mars, Jupiter and Uranus will remain visible for a few more hours with Mars finally setting just before sunrise.Unlike prior parades, this one is set to last quite a while since the planets are in advantageous spots in the sky. You should be able to see all six planets nightly until the last week or so of February.After that, the seven-planet parade will begin as Mercury will briefly join the others in the sky for a couple of days, turning this into a planetary parade of all seven planets in our solar system other than Earth. It will be difficult to see them all since Saturn, Mercury and Neptune will be quite close to the sun right at sunset, but they will be there.By the time March gets underway, Mercury, Saturn and Neptune will have drifted too close to the sun to be readily visible with Venus not far behind, leaving Jupiter, Mars and Uranus to populate the night sky until the next parade begins.Will my region see the planet parade? Upgrade your inbox Get cnet insider From talking fridges to iPhones, our experts are here to help make the world a little less complicated. Most, if not all, locations in the US, Canada and Mexico should be able to see the planetary parade this time around thanks to its long length and limited planetary movement. We checked observatories in California, Texas, Ohio and New York in the US, along with Calgary in Canada and Mexico City, Mexico. We were able to find all six planets at each location, so it doesn't matter how far north, east, west or south you go, you'll be able to see it.In general, the best time to view the planet parade will be after Jan. 21, and before Feb. 21. The best time will be the week of Jan. 29 during the new moon. (As we explain in this story, a new moon is a shadowed moon, which makes it seem like the moon has disappeared.) The shadowed moon will reduce light pollution in the sky and make Neptune, Uranus and Saturn easier to spot.Read more: Full Moons Explained, From Blue Moons to Supermoons to Lunar PhasesYou won't have to wait long for all six planets to be in the sky. They'll be there as soon as the sun sets. Once it's dark, you'll only have a couple of hours to view them before Venus, Saturn and Neptune dip below the horizon for the evening. This applies regardless of location, so no matter where you are, everything's happening at around the same time.During the last few days of February, Mercury will make its appearance and the parade will increase to seven planets. This will be best viewed right at sunset and will be more difficult to see while the sun is still on the horizon.Will I need any special equipment to view the parade?Technically yes. You'll be able to spot Venus, Mars, Jupiter and potentially Saturn with the naked eye in opportune conditions. However, Neptune and Uranus are simply too far away to spot. Astronomers note that you'll likely need a telescope with at least an 8-inch aperture at 50 times magnification to see Uranus and its rings, and 150 times magnification to see Neptune and its rings. If you're so equipped, give that telescope a point at Saturn. At 25 times magnification, you'll be able to see the crown jewel of our solar system in all its glory.Standard space viewing rules also apply here. You'll want to get away from the city, where light pollution can obfuscate your view. Even the suburbs may not be far enough away for many folks. If you're planning a long drive out of the city and its surroundings, you'll want to make sure it's a clear night with as little cloud cover as possible.If you're headed out to see all seven planets at the end of February, you'll have a particularly difficult task ahead of you as a few of the planets will be fairly close to the sun. You may want to invest in UV protection for your eyes and be particularly careful about where you point your telescope.How can I find the planets in the sky?Given that Neptune and Uranus are particularly hard to find paired with the fact that Saturn and Venus will be right next to each other, there may be some difficulty in finding all six planets in the sky. For this, there are a few good tools available. Check out Stellarium's website, along with Time and Date's Night Sky Map. Those should give you a good idea of where each planet is in relation to the others. Star Walk 2 is an excellent app on Android and iOS. Stellarium has its own Android and iOS apps as well.What is a planetary parade?A planetary parade is a colloquial term that applies when four or more planets line up in the night sky at once. It's not an official astronomy term so you'll rarely hear astronomers use it. However, NASA has been known to refer to the phenomenon as a "parade of planets."The official term is planetary alignment, although that term tends to seed a little bit of confusion. Some interpretations of the phrase include the planets lining up on the same side of the sun all right next to each other. The planets can never fully line up exactly like you see in pictures, but they can all be on the same side of the sun and relatively close to lining up. In day-to-day use, though, planetary parades and alignments are the same thing and simply describe when there are several planets visible in the night sky at the same time. These planets may be nowhere near each other in their solar orbits but are visible from the perspective of Earth.

Looking for the most recent Strands answer?Click here for our daily Strands hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Connections puzzles.Todays NYTStrandspuzzle isn't terribly tough if you've been to a movie theater in the last 30 years. The theme even gives away the studio name, and it's a studio whose films are pretty famous. Note that some of the film titles are super short (four letters!) but a few are really long (one is 11 letters long). If you need hints and answers, read on.Also, I go into depth about therules for Strands in this story.If you're looking for today's Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers, you can visitCNET's NYT puzzle hints page.Read more:NYT Connections Turns 1: These Are the 5 Toughest Puzzles So FarHint for today's Strands puzzleToday's Strands theme is:Pixar thisIf that doesn't help you, here's a clue: To infinity, and beyond!Clue words to unlock in-game hintsYour goal is to find hidden words that fit the puzzle's theme. If you're stuck, find any words you can. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words. These are the words I used to get those hints, but any words of four or more letters that you find will work:DONE, ROSE, MAIL, SCAR, EMAIL, TILT, LIME, TOUT, TILL, NOSE, DRONE, LINE, CONE, CONES, WARD, DRAW, DRAWS, TOILAnswers for today's Strands puzzleThese are the answers that tie into the theme. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, a theme word that reaches from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you've got all of them (I originally thought there were always eight but learned that the number can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the nonspangram answers:CARS, SOUL, BRAVE, ONWARD, ELEMENTAL, RATATOUILLEToday's Strands spangramToday's Strands spangram isANIMATION.To find it, start with the A that's three letters down on the furthest row to the left, and wind across. The completed NYT Strands puzzle for Jan. 22, 2025. NYT/Screenshot by CNET