Tech
The suns poles have flipped. A spacecraft is watching what happens next.
A spacecraft just got the first look at the bottom of the sun, and what it saw was a hot mess — literally.
Our host star, about 93 million miles away in space, is in utter turmoil right now, having just reached peak chaos in its solar cycle. Similar to storm seasons on Earth, the sun experiences a weather pattern that repeats every 11 years. At the beginning and end of this stretch, flares and sunspots calm down. But solar activity rises before it falls, and when it climaxes, the sun roils with giant eruptions.
The Solar Orbiter, a collaborative mission between the European Space Agency and NASA, captured detailed images of the sun’s southern region in March, something no other probe has done at close range. While previous spacecraft have taken pictures around the sun's middle, the Solar Orbiter tilted to get the unprecedented southern view.
What its instruments observed wasn't unexpected, though it remains mysterious: The poles had flipped. While a normal magnet has clear north and south poles, both of the sun's poles occupy the bottom now. This happens only for a short period during "solar maximum" before a single polarity eventually takes over, and the entire magnetic field reorders itself in the reversed configuration.
"How exactly this build-up occurs is still not fully understood," said Sami Solanki, leader of one of the orbiter instrument teams from the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, in a statement, "so Solar Orbiter has reached high latitudes at just the right time to follow the whole process from its unique and advantageous perspective."
The spacecraft, launched in 2020, used a gravity assist from Venus in February to swing out of the sun’s equatorial plane. That change in trajectory gave its cameras the fresh angle to see the southern region. One previous spacecraft — NASA and ESA's now-defunct Ulysses mission that began in the 1990s — flew over the sun's poles but did not have the ability to take pictures.
The orbiter comes equipped with several instruments that have different purposes. One images the sun in optical light, and another captures ultraviolet light. Two others map the sun's surface magnetic field and capture light from different temperatures of charged gas above the sun's surface.
Though the basis of the solar cycle — our star's internal clock — remains unclear, scientists think the key to understanding it lies at the poles. One of the primary mission objectives for the orbiter is to try to figure it out. Its findings may also improve predictions for space weather events that can disrupt power grids, satellites, and navigation systems.
In the March images, the orbiter viewed the sun from an angle of 17 degrees below the solar equator. Over the coming years, the spacecraft will tilt even farther. In December 2026, the orbit will change to a steeper 23 degrees. By 2029, it may reach 33 degrees to fully map both poles.
SAVE $80: As of Aug. 9, the Apple AirPods Pro 2 are on sale for $169 at Amazon. That's 32% off their list price of $249.
Opens in a new window
The battle of the best earbuds is a pretty tough race, but the AirPods Pro are still a huge standout — especially now that they feature USB-C charging. And we love them even more when they're on sale.
As of Aug. 9, the AirPods Pro 2 are down to just $169 at Amazon instead of the usual $249. That's a savings of 32% and just $20 shy of their best-ever price from Prime Day. The Apple earbuds do fall to $169 pretty regularly, but that doesn't mean this isn't a solid deal. That's only $40 more than the AirPods 4 at full price, which don't even offer noise cancellation.
We particularly love the rich and well-balanced sound of the AirPods Pro, although we wish they offered customizable EQ. They also offer best-in-class noise cancellation, decent battery life (up to six hours per charge, 30 hours with case), and seamless Apple ecosystem integration. The Pros regularly top our lists of the best headphones, and our readers seem to love them just as much. "For portability, active noise cancellation, and balanced sound, your search ends with the AirPods Pro," our reviewer writes.
Connections: Sports Edition is a new version of the popular New York Times word game that seeks to test the knowledge of sports fans.
Like the original Connections, the game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.
If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for the latest Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.
What is Connections Sports Edition?
The NYT's latest daily word game has launched in association with The Athletic, the New York Times property that provides the publication's sports coverage. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer.
If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.
Here's a hint for today's Connections Sports Edition categories
Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:
-
Yellow: Ways to throw a baseball
-
Green: Hockey fouls
-
Blue: Women's hockey
-
Purple: Roll Tide QBs
Here are today's Connections Sports Edition categories
Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:
-
Yellow: Baseball Pitching Arm Slots
-
Green: Hockey Penalties
-
Blue: PWHL Teams
-
Purple: Former Alabama QBs
Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.
Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.
Drumroll, please!
The solution to today's Connections Sports Edition #320 is…
What is the answer to Connections Sports Edition today
-
Baseball Pitching Arm Slots – OVERHAND, SIDEARM, SUBMARINE, THREE-QUARTERS
-
Hockey Penalties – BOARDING, CROSS-CHECKING, HOOKING, INTERFERENCE
-
PWHL Teams – CHARGE, FLEET, FROST, SIRENS
-
Former Alabama QBs – NAMATH, STABLER, STARR, YOUNG
Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.
Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.
If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to the latest Connections.
Microsoft is quietly winding down its Lens scanning app for iOS and Android, the company confirmed in a support document.
Formerly known as Office Lens, the app lets users convert images into PDFs, PowerPoint slides, and Excel files, handling both handwritten and printed documents with ease. It was simple, reliable, and widely used — but it’s now on the chopping block. Microsoft plans to officially retire the app on Sept. 15, 2025.
Support will end on Nov. 15, 2025, when Lens will be pulled from both the App Store and Google Play. Users will still be able to create scans until Dec. 15, 2025, but after that, the feature will be disabled. Existing scans will remain accessible as long as the app stays installed on the device.
The move marks the end of an app that’s seen more than 50 million downloads on Google Play and nearly 136,000 ratings on Apple’s App Store.
Microsoft is pointing users toward Microsoft 365 Copilot, which carries over most of Lens’s scanning capabilities. However, Copilot lacks some of Lens’s biggest perks, including direct saving to Microsoft Suite apps and accessibility features like read-aloud support and Immersive Reader integration.
The best-selling $169 AirPods Pro deal is back — grab em while you can
NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for August 9, 2025
Microsoft is shutting down its Lens PDF scanner app
New Kid and Family Movies in 2025: Calendar of Release Dates (Updating)
The best sexting apps in 2025
Every potential TikTok buyer we know about
-
Entertainment5 months agoNew Kid and Family Movies in 2025: Calendar of Release Dates (Updating)
-
Tech5 months ago
The best sexting apps in 2025
-
Tech6 months agoEvery potential TikTok buyer we know about
-
Tech6 months ago
iOS 18.4 developer beta released — heres what you can expect
-
Politics6 months agoDOGE-ing toward the best Department of Defense ever
-
Tech6 months agoAre You an RSSMasher?
-
Politics6 months agoToxic RINO Susan Collins Is a “NO” on Kash Patel, Trashes Him Ahead of Confirmation Vote
-
Politics6 months agoAfter Targeting Chuck Schumer, Acting DC US Attorney Ed Martin Expands ‘Operation Whirlwind’ to Investigate Democrat Rep. Robert Garcia for Calling for “Actual Weapons” Against Elon Musk