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TL;DR: Live stream Barcelona vs. Sevilla in La Liga for free on ITVX. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.
It is possible to live stream select La Liga fixtures without spending anything. And that includes some of the biggest games on the schedule, like Barcelona vs. Sevilla.
Barcelona are top of the standings going into this fixture with Sevilla, having won all but one domestic game this season. Sevilla have been very inconsistent so far, but they have more than enough talent to cause problems for the league leaders.
If you want to watch Barcelona vs. Sevilla in La Liga from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.
When is Barcelona vs. Sevilla?Barcelona vs. Sevilla in La Liga kicks off at 8 p.m. BST on Oct. 20. This fixture takes place at the Lluís Companys Olympic Stadium.
How to watch Barcelona vs. Sevilla for freeBarcelona vs. Sevilla is available to live stream for free on ITVX.
ITVX is geo-restricted to the UK, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in the UK, meaning you can unblock ITVX to stream La Liga fixtures for free from anywhere in the world.
Live stream Barcelona vs. Sevilla for free by following these simple steps:
Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)
Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)
Open up the app and connect to a server in the UK
Sign in to ITVX
Watch Barcelona vs. Sevilla for free from anywhere in the world
The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can access free live streams of La Liga without actually spending anything. This obviously isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream Barcelona vs. Sevilla before recovering your investment.
What is the best VPN for ITVX?ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on ITVX, for a number of reasons:
Servers in 105 countries including the UK
Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more
Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure
Fast connection speeds free from throttling
Up to eight simultaneous connections
30-day money-back guarantee
A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $99.95 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee.
Live stream Barcelona vs. Sevilla in La Liga for free with ExpressVPN.
TL;DR: Live stream Leicester Tigers vs. Gloucester for free on ITVX. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.
Leicester Tigers are building some positive momentum in the Gallagher Premiership, whereas Gloucester are looking to improve after two disappointing defeats. The two sides meet at Welford Road this weekend, with the home side favorite to take the win. But the Gallagher Premiership is never predictable.
If you're interested in watching Leicester Tigers vs. Gloucester for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.
When is Leicester Tigers vs. Gloucester?Leicester Tigers vs. Gloucester starts at 3 p.m. BST on Oct. 20. This fixture takes place at Welford Road.
How to watch Leicester Tigers vs. Gloucester for freeLeicester Tigers vs. Gloucester is available to live stream for free on ITVX.
ITVX is geo-restricted to the UK, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in the UK, meaning you can bypass geo-restrictions to access ITVX from anywhere in the world.
Access free live streams of the NFL by following these simple steps:
Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)
Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)
Open up the app and connect to a server in the UK
Visit ITVX
Live stream Leicester Tigers vs. Gloucester for free from anywhere in the world
The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but top VPNs do tend to offer free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. By making the most of these deals, you can access free live streams of the NFL without actually spending anything. This is obviously a quick fix, but it gives you enough time to watch Leicester Tigers vs. Gloucester before recovering your investment.
What is the best VPN for the NFL?ExpressVPN is the best service for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream the NFL live, for a number of reasons:
Servers in 105 countries including the UK
Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more
Strict no-logging policy so your data is always secure
Fast connection speeds
Up to eight simultaneous connections
30-day money-back guarantee
A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $99.95, saving you 49% on list price. This deal includes an extra three months of coverage, a whole year of unlimited cloud backup, and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Live stream Leicester Tigers vs. Gloucester for free from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.
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 October 20's Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.
SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable SEE ALSO: Hurdle hints and answers for October 20 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.
Tweet may have been deletedEach 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.
Tweet may have been deletedPlayers 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.
SEE ALSO: NYT's The Mini crossword answers for October 20 Here's a hint for today's Connections Sports Edition categoriesWant a hit about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:
Yellow: Beantown legends
Green: Beantown not included
Blue: Wet winners
Purple: Women's basketball advantage-havers
Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:
Yellow - Boston sports icons
Green - AL East cities
Blue - Gold medal swimmers in Paris
Purple - Recent WNBA no. 1 picks
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 #25 is...
What is the answer to Connections Sports Edition todayBoston sports icons: BRADY, ORR, RUSSELL, YASTREMSKI
AL East cities: BALTIMORE, NEW YORK, TAMPA BAY, TORONTO
Gold medal swimmers in Paris: HUSKE, LEDECKY, MARCHAND, MCINTOSH
Recent WNBA no. 1 picks: BOSTON, CLARK, COLLIER, HOWARD
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.
SEE ALSO: Mini crossword answers for October 20If 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 yesterday's Connections.
If you're reading this, you're looking for a little help playing Strands, the New York Times' elevated word-search game.
Strands requires the player to perform a twist on the classic word search. Words can be made from linked letters — up, down, left, right, or diagonal, but words can also change direction, resulting in quirky shapes and patterns. Every single letter in the grid will be part of an answer. There's always a theme linking every solution, along with the "spangram," a special, word or phrase that sums up that day's theme, and spans the entire grid horizontally or vertically.
SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on MashableBy providing an opaque hint and not providing the word list, Strands creates a brain-teasing game that takes a little longer to play than its other games, like Wordle and Connections.
If you're feeling stuck or just don't have 10 or more minutes to figure out today's puzzle, we've got all the NYT Strands hints for today's puzzle you need to progress at your preferred pace.
SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for October 20 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections today: Hints and answers for October 20 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Make yourself at homeThese words are cozy.
Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explainedThese words are things in the average living room.
NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?Today's NYT Strands spangram is vertical.
NYT Strands spangram answer todayToday's spangram is Livingroom.
Featured Video For You Strands 101: How to win NYT’s latest word game NYT Strands word list for October 20Recliner
Ottoman
Table
Livingroom
Fireplace
Shelf
Sofa
Looking for other daily online games? Mashable's Games page has more hints, and 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 yesterday's Strands.
Oh hey there! If you're here, it must be time for Wordle. As always, we're serving up our daily hints and tips to help you figure out today's answer.
If you just want to be told today's word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for October 20's Wordle solution revealed. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.
SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable SEE ALSO: NYT Connections today: Hints and answers for October 20 Where did Wordle come from?Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once.
Wordle eventually became so popular that it was purchased by the New York Times, and TikTok creators even livestream themselves playing.
What's the best Wordle starting word?The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.
What happened to the Wordle archive?The entire archive of past Wordle puzzles was originally available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it, but it was later taken down, with the website's creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times. However, the New York Times then rolled out its own Wordle Archive, available only to NYT Games subscribers.
Is Wordle getting harder?It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn't any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle's Hard Mode if you're after more of a challenge, though.
SEE ALSO: NYT's The Mini crossword answers for October 20 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:A situation that could be dangerous.
Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?There are no reoccurring letters.
Today's Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with...Today's Wordle starts with the letter D.
SEE ALSO: Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL. SEE ALSO: Hurdle hints and answers for October 19 The Wordle answer today is...Get your last guesses in now, because it's your final chance to solve today's Wordle before we reveal the solution.
Drumroll please!
The solution to today's Wordle is...
DICEY.
Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be a new Wordle 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.
SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for October 18Reporting by Chance Townsend, Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.
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 yesterday's Wordle.
Connections is the latest New York Times word game that's captured the public's attention. 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 October 20's Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.
SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable What is Connections?The NYT's latest daily word game has become a social media hit. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with helping to create the new word game and bringing it to the publications' Games section. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.
Tweet may have been deletedEach 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.
Tweet may have been deletedPlayers 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.
SEE ALSO: NYT's The Mini crossword answers for October 20 Here's a hint for today's Connections categoriesWant a hit about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:
Yellow: News writing
Green: Loud
Blue: Table Tennis
Purple: Homophones
Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:
Yellow: Bit of Newspaper Writing
Green: Noisy Disturbance
Blue: Table Tennis Needs
Purple: Homophones of Coordinating Conjunctions
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 #495 is...
What is the answer to Connections todayBit of Newspaper Writing: ARTICLE, COLUMN, FEATURE, STORY
Noisy Disturbance: CLATTER, RACKET, ROW, RUCKUS
Table Tennis Needs: BALL, NET, PADDLE, TABLE
Homophones of Coordinating Conjunctions: BUTT, FORE, OAR, SEW
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.
SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for October 19Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.
SEE ALSO: Mini crossword answers for October 19If 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 yesterday's Connections.
Horror continues to dominate the box office this October, with new release Smile 2 taking in $9.4 million from its Oct. 18 opening day and preview screenings. Variety says that's more than the original Smile's $8.2 million.
SEE ALSO: 'Smile 2' review: This is going to ruin the tour!The pop star-centric sequel — which Mashable's Monica Castillo called "even more fun and gory this time around" in her review — isn't the only horror movie to crack the box office top five this week. Gore-fest Terrifier 3, which topped the box office last week, is poised to come in third after earning $2.9 million this Friday.
Meanwhile, Dreamworks' The Wild Robot continues to hold strong at second, and will likely cross the $100 million domestic mark over the rest of the weekend, even as the film lands on digital. Rounding out the top five are We Live in Time, starring Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield, and Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, which is on track to become the fourth highest-grossing film of 2024 in the US.
As for Joker: Folie à Deux? It continues to underperform, falling out of the top five with a whimper.
Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days have come and gone, but the retailer is gearing up for the holidays and sneaking in some discounts along the way. To help you get ahead of your holiday shopping, we browsed Amazon’s latest deals to find the best bang for your buck.
Here are our top picks for the best Amazon deals of the day on Oct. 19. If you’re not impressed, don't worry — we'll be back tomorrow with more discounted goods. You can also check out our deals list from Oct. 18 and Oct. 17. Most of these deals are still live, including the LG CordZero All-in-One Auto Empty cordless vacuum and $50 off the Fibit Google Ace LTE kids smartwatch.
Our top pick Opens in a new window Credit: JBL JBL Tune Flex true wireless noise-canceling earbuds (small, black) $49.95 at AmazonRight now, you can get the JBL Tune Flex true wireless noise-canceling earbuds (small, black) for just $49.95. That’s a 50% discount and a whopping $50 off their regular price. This is the lowest price we’ve seen these earbuds go for, making it a killer deal if you're in the market for a new pair of noise-canceling buds.
The JBL Tune Flex earbuds are designed with 12mm drivers so you can hear that signature JBL Pure Bass sound. They also feature active noise-canceling technology and have two microphones for clear voice pickup on calls. Plus, with Ambient Aware, you can tune in and out of your surroundings whenever you want.
Best fitness tracker deal Opens in a new window Credit: Oura Oura Ring Gen3 Horizon $299.00 at AmazonCheck out our full review of the Oura Ring 4.
The Oura Ring Gen3 Horizon is still at its early Prime Day price of $299, down from $349. (This deal is valid on the black and silver models.) It’s also $100 less than the Samsung Galaxy Ring.
If you’re not sure which size to get, you can order an Oura Ring Gen3 sizing kit and receive a $10 Amazon credit toward your purchase.
The Oura Ring Gen3 Horizon can track your sleep, daily activity, stress levels, and heart rate. You’ll also get free access to Oura's membership program for one month. After that, it’s $5.99 per month. The Oura Ring is compatible with Android and iOS, so you can sync it with apps like Google Health Connect, Natural Cycles, and others.
Best TV deal Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon 50-inch Amazon Fire TV 4-Series 4K UHD smart TV $279.99 at AmazonIf you’re on the hunt for a new TV that won’t cost you an arm and a leg, the 50-inch Amazon Fire TV 4-Series 4K UHD smart TV is on sale for $279.99 — that’s $170 off, and a record-low price.
This Fire TV has a 4K Ultra HD display and Dolby Digital Plus, so you can watch your favorite shows, movies, and more in bright and vibrant detail. It also has Alexa built-in; just press the button and ask her to find shows, adjust the volume, and more.
With four HDMI ports and compatibility with Amazon Fire TV, Netflix, Disney+, YouTube, Hulu, and more, this is a great budget-friendly option for gamers, movie lovers, and anyone else who wants a smart TV without paying smart TV prices.
Best kitchen deal Opens in a new window Credit: Ninja Ninja Air Fryer 4-in-1 (AF101) $89.99 at AmazonThe Ninja Air Fryer 4-in-1 (AF101) is $89.99 at Amazon. That’s $40 off, and it's a pretty solid deal for a top-rated air fryer.
With a 4-quart capacity and 4-in-1 versatility, this appliance can air fry, roast, reheat, and dehydrate. The ceramic-coated nonstick basket and crisper plate (both of which are dishwasher-friendly) can fit up to two pounds of french fries at a time.
It’s super simple to use, with a digital control panel and push-button control. And, if you’re unsure what to cook, it comes with a 20-recipe booklet for inspiration.
None of these deals catching your eye? Check out Amazon's daily deals for even more savings.
Penguin Random House (PRH), the largest of the Big Five publishing imprints, is pushing back against its published works being used to train AI.
As first reported by The Bookseller, PRH has changed its copyright wording to target AI. The new rules state that "no part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner for the purpose of training artificial intelligence technologies or systems." This statement will appear in all new titles across PRH's imprints, as well as reprints of backlist titles.
SEE ALSO: An AI is getting very rich off crypto. It gets weirder.PRH's changing of its copyright wording to combat AI training makes it the first of the Big Five publishers to take such an action against AI, at least publicly. Mashable has reached out to the remaining Big Five trade publishers — Hachette, HarperCollins, Macmillan, and Simon & Schuster — for comment.
PRH's move is the latest in a series of copyright actions by publishers against AI scraping. In late 2023, The New York Times sued OpenAI and Microsoft for copyright infringement, and in Oct. of 2024, they also sent a cease and desist letter to the Jeff Bezos-backed AI startup Perplexity. And with companies allowing seemingly anything to be trained for AI, from X posts to LinkedIn data, who can blame them?
The Mini is a bite-sized version of The New York Times' revered daily crossword. While the crossword is a lengthier experience that requires both knowledge and patience to complete, The Mini is an entirely different vibe.
With only a handful of clues to answer, the daily puzzle doubles as a speed-running test for many who play it.
So, when a tricky clue disrupts a player's flow, it can be frustrating! If you find yourself stumped playing The Mini — much like with Wordle and Connections — we have you covered.
SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on MashableHere are the clues and answers to NYT's The Mini for Saturday, October 19, 2024:
AcrossLawyer's assignmentThe answer is Case.
The answer is Later.
The answer is Bother.
The answer is Volleys.
The answer is Ariana.
The answer is Pends.
The answer is Edgy.
The answer is Cat Lady.
The answer is Athens.
The answer is See ya.
The answer is Errs.
The answer is LOLing.
The answer is Bored.
The answer is Vape.
If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Featured Video For You The Wordle Strategy used by the New York Times' Head of GamesAre you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.
Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Mini Crossword.
Scientists have discovered small, potentially habitable areas on Mars where life could, in theory, transform sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide into oxygen, according to a new NASA study.
Though the research doesn't mean photosynthetic aliens are indeed living in these environments now — or even that they were there in the past — the findings provide the U.S. space agency with attractive targets for future searches.
For years, NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter — a spacecraft circling the Red Planet — has seen white material lining dry gullies thought to be dusty water ice. This environment in the Martian tropics could be mottled with small pockets of meltwater, similar to features found within glaciers on Earth.
A team has proposed that simple lifeforms like microbes could potentially find refuge up to 10 feet below the Red Planet's surface in these ice deposits found near the Martian equator.
"If we’re trying to find life anywhere in the universe today, Martian ice exposures are probably one of the most accessible places we should be looking," said Aditya Khuller, lead author of the study, in a statement.
SEE ALSO: Past life on Mars? Here's what new NASA evidence points to. NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spots several gullies tipped in white, believed to be areas of dusty ice. Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / University of ArizonaOver the course of several ice ages spanning eons, snow mixed with dust fell on the ground of Mars, a world an average of 140 million miles away. That ancient snow — now ice — still contains flecks of dust.
Through computer simulations, the team demonstrated that a habitable zone could exist on Mars in ice with such dust. Their paper, published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment, suggests that just the right amount of sunlight could penetrate the ice to allow photosynthesis to occur in pockets of meltwater below an icy layer.
But why, pray tell, does a pinch of dirt matter?
NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter flies over a gully believed to have areas of dusty ice similar to those modeled in the study. Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / University of ArizonaOn Earth, dust within ice can form so-called cryoconite holes — small areas where dust carried by wind lands on the ground, absorbs sunlight, warms up, and then melts deeper into the ice each summer. Eventually the particles stop sinking, but they continue to create enough heat to melt small pools of water around them.
And when this process happens here, the water holes tend to be brimming with life, hosting entire ecosystems: algae, fungi, and microscopic cyanobacteria, for instance, all of which get their energy from photosynthesis.
"This is a common phenomenon on Earth," said co-author Phil Christensen of Arizona State University. "Dense snow and ice can melt from the inside out, letting in sunlight that warms it like a greenhouse, rather than melting from the top down."
On Mars, where there isn't a protective magnetic field enveloping the planet, the sun beats down on the world with high levels of toxic radiation. But a thick slab of ice could absorb the rays, protecting biology below the surface, while allowing enough light to pass through it and enable photosynthesis.
Though the environment at Mars' poles would likely be too cold for cryoconite holes to form beneath ice, the planet's tropics may present the right conditions. During the NASA study, scientists learned that too much schmutz in the ice would make for a very small habitable zone, of perhaps just 2 to 15 inches below ground. In clearer ice, that zone could potentially extend to 10 feet deep.
Scientists are excited about these findings because they provide a sort of liquid water loophole for Mars. The planet has such thin and dry air, water ice is thought to "sublimate," converting directly from a solid to vapor, at its surface. But the problems presented by Mars' atmosphere for ice to melt into water don't exist below a glacier or tightly packed snow.
The team plans to map out the most likely spots on Mars where shallow meltwater could exist. These may become some of the most enticing locations on the Red Planet for future astronauts to explore.
Andrea Arnold lobs everything including the kitchen sink at her latest tale of realism, though she can't quite balance its highs and lows. Bird follows a poor 12-year-old's coming-of-age in Southeast England, and her friendship with a mysterious stranger. It's as much about grimy, tangible details as it is about ethereal ideas of what the lens can (and cannot) see, but this self-reflexivity is, at once, the movie's most breathtaking facet, as well as its undoing.
Arnold has long employed a roving lens to explore rural and suburban landscapes. Bird, her first fiction film is nearly a decade, is no exception, though she affords herself too much aesthetic liberty at times. This time around, her handheld style is more chaotic than exploratory. It often obscures more than it reveals. However, her actors help her in capturing just enough vulnerability to make up for this misstep.
The film doesn't quite fit together, but its individual pieces can be dazzling. Some even border on the divine, and they work to remind us that even a lesser Arnold is still a cut above most people's best.
What is Bird about? Credit: Atsushi Nishijima / Courtesy of MUBIHard-as-nails Bailey (newcomer Nykiya Adams), a 12-year-old biracial Black girl, lives with her young, wayward white father, Bug (Barry Keoghan, Saltburn), in a dilapidated apartment project in Kent, England. In fact, their town is called Gravesend, a murky name that echoes their dead-end prospects, though this doesn't stop Bug from planning a wedding celebration he can't afford. To Bailey's chagrin, Bug's girlfriend of three months and now fiancée, Kayleigh (Frankie Box), is about to move into their home with her infant daughter. The pre-teen lashes out, and attempts to join the vigilante gang run by her 14-year-old half-brother, Hunter (Jason Buda).
Arnold often takes an oblique, blink-and-you'll-miss-it approach to establishing some of these relationships, which often come to light through quick and muffled dialogue. This is, in essence, the point. It can be initially hard to tell whether the heavily tattooed, high-energy Bug is Bailey's father or her sibling, or where Bug and Hunter are related at all — they barely share the screen — which speaks to how young and ill-prepared Bug is for fatherhood, and the family's fractured nature.
Hunter and his scrawny friends try to take the law into their own hands by attacking domestic abusers and recording their assaults for social media, and while this could make its own intriguing feature, it's but a passing detail in Arnold's jagged-edged world — for better or worse. While it does eventually pay off in the plot (and has at least glancing thematic relevance), it can't help but feel like a morally intriguing aspect of Bailey's story has gone unexplored.
After Bailey is ousted from these missions for her safety, she comes across an awkward, friendly figure who goes only by the name Bird (Franz Rogowski, Passages). Bird claims to have come to Gravesend to track down his parents, from whom he was separated as a child. In keeping with the film's persistent issue, this saga is also sidelined as soon as it gets interesting, but the ephemeral nature of Bird's arrival is, in its own way, wondrous.
Franz Rogowski brings a shimmering warmth to Bird. Credit: Robbie Ryan / Courtesy of MUBIFrom the moment he appears, Rogowski's soft physicality brings dazzling contrast to Bailey's rough-and-tumble world, building intrigue in the process. Their initial connection is built on commonalities; Bird defies gender binaries with his lengthy skirt, as does Bailey with her short hair and boisterous attitude, and they happen to meet in the wide-open isolation of a lonely field, as if they're each escaping from something. However, Bird also represents a sense of wide-eyed possibility that Bailey's surroundings don't often allow her to feel.
Something as simple as Bird's quiet smile, and his seeming friendly demeanor with no ulterior motives, feels entirely alien to Bailey, though it might to most people. Rogowski plays Bird with one eye towards rejecting all things cynical, whether to maintain optimism about his familial search or simply because this is some innate quality Bird happens to possess.
Bird often rides the line between character and idealistic symbol, especially when Bailey begins capturing him with her phone camera, and projecting his images on her bedroom wall. On occasion, he'll stand perched on the roof of a nearby building, unmoving, looking down at her like an angelic being. The way he carries himself is beautiful and breathtaking. He's a breath of fresh air that Bailey and the movie sorely need.
Bird is almost self-reflexive about its images — but not quite. Credit: Courtesy of MUBIUnfortunately, Bailey's proclivity for capturing scenery is yet another idea left unexplored, even though Bird is at its most potent when dipping its toe into her perspective. Her pictures and videos are gentle in a way her surroundings are not, and the question of whether she's projecting this gentleness out into the world or finding it in places others might not seek it remains largely untouched.
Arnold is usually adept at capturing the rhythms and invisible hues of any place she films, but her framing here is often so off-kilter as to be nauseating. Bird is too quick and chaotic to ever ruminate on its images — Arnold's own, or the ones she creates for Bailey — which makes her protagonist's own point of view feel fleeting, even when the movie delves further into her family.
However, Bird's enigmatic presence, as briefly seen through Bailey's eyes, is just alluring enough, and allows Arnold to keep an observational distance without the movie coming apart at the seams. Along the way, as teenage drama comes to the fore, it's also complemented by strange happenings verging on magical realism, thanks to the strange behavior of animals. While these can be chalked up to coincidental oddities, they're framed with just enough mischief to pose delightful doubts about the movie's true nature.
Whether or not Bird represents or possesses some kind of divinity is practically irrelevant in the face of whether or not Bailey can recognize this or capture it. However, rather than exploring its latent symbolism, the film soon begins straying into awfully literal territory. It can't seem to maintain its sense of mystery for very long. In the process, even its most life-affirming moments tend to lose their impact, even though Rogowski's otherworldliness is a marvel to behold.
Bird was reviewed out of its NewFest premiere in New York. It will be released in theaters Nov. 8.
Maybe you're watching Peacock's Hysteria! and twitching on the verge of recollection: WHO is that familiar face screaming on your TV screen? The new horror-thriller series from Matthew Scott Kane not only delves into the Satanic Panic of the '80s with a fresh murder mystery to unearth but also boasts an ensemble cast studded with genre luminaries.
So whether you're a die-hard Deadite, an appreciator of elevated horror, or new to scary movies, here's a guide to where you've seen the cast of Hysteria! before.
SEE ALSO: What to watch: Best scary movies Emjay Anthony Emjay Anthony is long-ignored misfit Dylan Campbell in "Hysteria!" Credit: Mark Hill/PeacockHysteria!'s plotline features a variety of characters, from the pestered police chief and the fretful Christian girl to the queen bee obsessed with Satan. At its emotional center is long-ignored misfit Dylan Campbell, whose last name is a nod to the show's most legendary horror star, Bruce Campbell. When a local beloved jock turns up ritualistically murdered, Dylan finds an unlikely path to popularity by pretending to be a Satanist — and a way to promote his heavy metal band to boot!
In pursuit of his devilish dream girl Judith (Jessica Treska), Dylan puts his whole family at risk. This is similar to the plotline of Anthony's most memorable horror role, Krampus. In this Yuletide horror, a young Anthony played a little boy so fed up with his family's in-fighting that he makes a terrible Christmas wish. Everything from snowmen and gingerbread cookies to holiday ornaments become deadly threats in this over-the-top treat from writer/director Michael Dougherty.
SEE ALSO: The cast of 'Hysteria!' on what makes a society go hysterical Julie Bowen Julie Bowen as concerned mother Linda Campbell in "Hysteria!" Credit: Mark Hill / PeacockMostly known as Claire Dunphy on the long-running sitcom Modern Family, Bowen has dipped into her dark side since the series finale in 2020. Just last year she starred opposite Chilling Adventures of Sabrina's Kiernan Shipka in the time-traveling slasher-comedy Totally Killer.
Now as Hysteria!'s Linda Campbell, she's playing a mom who's plagued by paranormal threats, unexplained blisters, and fears that her son could be a killer Satanist.
Bruce Campbell Bruce Campbell as Chief Dandridge in "Hysteria!" Credit: Mark Hill / PeacockLong before Campbell lent his world-weary swagger to Hysteria!'s no-nonsense Chief Dandridge, he made his first major mark on horror as the lead in Sam Raimi's grimy classic Evil Dead. As the hard-to-kill everyman (who sometimes has a chainsaw for an arm), Campbell's scream king Ash returned in the sequels Evil Dead II, Army of Darkness, and the spinoff series Ash vs Evil Dead.
This self-proclaimed B-movie actor has gone on to appear in a slew of movies and TV shows, including the spy drama Burn Notice and the Elvis Presley-centered mummy romp Bubba Ho-Tep. Superhero movie fans might recognize his trademark chin from his cameos in other Raimi offerings, like all three Tobey Maguire-fronted Spider-Man movies, plus Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
Milly ShapiroAs Dylan and his friends build their cult to cater to Judith's desires, they rope in "goat girl" aka Ingrid, a farmer's daughter who has no embarrassment about her animal buddies. If you looked at this lovable outcast and thought for sure you've seen her before, perhaps you're thinking of Hereditary? Yup. The 22-year-old Shapiro is all grown up now. But back in 2018, the Broadway baby who headlined Matilda the Musical scared the bejesus out of audiences as Charlie, the strange, seemingly haunted girl in writer/director Ari Aster's disturbing feature-length debut.
Coincidentally, both Shapiro and Anthony's breakout horror roles were in movies where Toni Collette played their mom! And — uh — without spoilers, that didn't bode well for either family.
Garret DillahuntThis prolific actor is introduced on Hysteria! by voice alone. But as a fan of the critically heralded Western drama Deadwood and the wacky sitcom Raising Hope, I know the voice of Garret Dillahunt when I hear it! To me, he's best known in the double role of the cowardly killer Jack McCall and the suave but villainous Francis Wolcott or the lovable himbo Burt Chance. However, Walking Dead fans will know him as Fear The Walking Dead's former cop turned rugged survivor John Dorie, while others may recognize him from his offbeat role as Dr. Jody Kimball-Kinney in The Mindy Project.
With Dillahunt regularly showing all kinds of range in his TV roles, from lovable to harrowing, his presence on Hysteria! is exciting exactly because it's hard to predict where his mysterious Reverend may land by season's end.
Anna Camp Anna Camp prays as Tracy Whitehead in "Hysteria!" Credit: Mark Hill / PeacockMaybe she's best known as Barden Bellas leader Aubrey Posen in Pitch Perfect, but Anna Camp is no stranger to serial horror. Back in 2009, she sunk her teeth into HBO's True Blood, a sexy soap opera inspired by Charlaine Harris' Southern Vampire Mysteries. In that long-running series, she played a perky but menacing televangelist's wife named Sarah Newlin. In Hysteria!, she's back in the habit (as it were) as Tracy Whitehead, a fiercely religious mother whose view on faith and parenthood are flat-out scary.
Chiara Aurelia Chiara Aurelia as goth girl Jordy in "Hysteria!" Credit: Mark Hill / PeacockDid you pick out this one? In Hysteria!, Chiara Aurelia brings a snarling wit and big heart to goth girl Jordy, best friend of the embattled Dylan. But back in Fear Street Part Two: 1978, this actress played a mean teen in the summer camp slasher. As pretty and popular camper Sheila Watson, Aurelia bullied and even burned Shadysider Ziggy (Stranger Things' Sadie Sink). This time around, she's using her sneer for good, scaring off the cool kids whose peer pressure could actually get her friends killed.
Jamie Flanagan Jamie Flanagan as Father Mathis and Julie Bowen as Linda Campbell in "Hysteria!" Credit: Mark Hill / PeacockThe sibling of horror auteur Mike Flanagan, Jamie has appeared in small roles in several of their brother's movies, including Absentia, Oculus, Gerald's Game, and Doctor Sleep. As a writer, they've also had a hand in Mike's Netflix series, with credits on The Haunting of Bly Manor, Midnight Mass, The Midnight Club, and The Fall of the House of Usher.
SEE ALSO: Where you've seen 'The House of Usher' cast before: Welcome to the FlanaverseJamie Flanagan pulls double duty on Hysteria!, not only as a screenwriter on Season 1 but also as the mild-mannered Father Mathis.
Nikki Hahn Nikki Hahn as Faith in "Hysteria!" Credit: Mark Hill / PeacockBefore she was the tormented Christian teen Faith Whitehead on Hysteria!, Nikki Hahn played a creepy kid on the second season of American Horror Story. In American Horror Story: Asylum, Hahn appeared as little Jenny Reynolds, whose girlish pigtails and angel face hid a murderous past. Will Faith prove to be a bad seed like Jenny? Hysteria!'s finale may have the answer.
Any other horror-casting connections you can find in Hysteria!? Sound off in comments.
In mid-July, in a sun-baked lot outside of Amazon Studios in Culver City, California, a group of writers and creatives were up in arms. They were four months into what would be a 6-month strike and picketing effort spanning the summer of 2023, fighting for a fair contract with studios. "It's not content," read one red and black sign. "Amazon Crime," read another, punctuated by a depiction of the signature Amazon logo in an uncharacteristic frown.
One week prior, the National Labor Relations Board had filed a formal complaint against the manufacturing arm of that same global giant, alleging that the business had violated the law in refusing to bargain with the fledgling Amazon Labor Union representing fulfillment center workers.
A cross-sector labor resurgence, prompted by global crisis after global crisis, was well on its way. Corporations — including those blurring the lines between manufacturing, entertainment, and technology — were on notice.
The efforts of the Amazon organizers are depicted in Union, an observational documentary on the Bezos-opposed unionization of Staten Island fulfillment center JFK8 and their now-famous figurehead Chris Smalls, who led a 2020 worker walkout and was eventually fired. The film begins its theatrical run on Oct. 18.
SEE ALSO: The secret online lives of high schoolers: FX's 'Social Studies' lifts the veilThe 100-minute film drops viewers straight into the 2021 work of then-employees, recently fired organizers, and specially hired union salts (union organizers who seek jobs at companies just to unionize them) to draw a picture of a cross-class, multiracial effort to take back a corporate economy slipping out of the people's control. It has only a few named subjects, no talking heads, no heroes, and, really, no villains. It, in the words of directors Brett Story and Stephen Maing, is a story of complicated people power.
Despite premiering at Sundance, where it won the U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for the Art of Change, and its headline-generating subject matter, the Level Ground Production film received no studio distribution interest. Over the last 8 months, it's screened at nearly every major film festival and at national and international labor events; it's now going to theaters under a full self-distribution plan. "Amazon Studios has a lot of power," Story told Mashable. "We don't know if that's a factor behind why our film hasn't been picked up, but it certainly adds to a nervousness and a conservatism around the choices distributors are making."
The struggles and ethos of the workers are replicated on screen and off, with Union and its distribution strategy presenting a concerning reality and a call to action for its audiences. Touching on the rippling effects of corporate consolidation, the increasing necessity of historic documentation, and the fate of art amid conflict, the film pounds on Hollywood's locked doors.
Union and its place in the labor revivalThe first moments of Union introduce its audience to the concept of scale. A massive cargo ship filled with towering containers slowly engulfs the first frame. A rocket ship — specifically, the Blue Origin flight carrying Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos — shoots through a cerulean sky into space. On the ground, employees wait for a bus.
These elements, combined with the nonstop pace of the union organizers in the film thereafter, are designed to feel all-consuming, Maing (the Academy Award–nominated director behind documentary film Crime + Punishment) explained to Mashable. Viewers watch as the film jumps from Zoom calls in cars to contentious discussions over firepits to confusing cross-borough commutes by the underdog union's leaders; it's all for the purpose of forward momentum. Unlike the massive scale used to set the stakes, urgency is communicated through minute details — leaders address the personal needs of workers and assuage fears of being fired.
While the social issue documentary spans more than a year of organizing, the directors were aware of the urgency of the moment, painted against the backdrop of a wave of worker movements, including in Hollywood. They saw the need to present the interconnected, complex, and messy nature of labor organizing against corporations that all pull from the same set of anti-worker — and anti-art — tactics.
Story — one of Variety's Documentary Filmmakers to Watch, known for documentaries like climate warning The Hottest August and Camper Force, about the Amazon workers depicted in the book as well as the feature film Nomadland — wanted to explore the larger labor movement through the complicated characters behind the ALU. "In the 21st century, when unionization is at an all-time low, when many people have no generational experience being part of a labor movement or a union, their parents might not even have been part of a union, who brings themselves to an effort like this?" she asks. "Politically, how do people decide that that's the form of political activism that they want to engage in? And then how do they learn how to do it in real time?"
Credit: Union The documentary as a mirrorAs more people join the cause, organizing becomes increasingly complicated. Organizers negotiate over who the face of the movement should be. We see Smalls, the union's de-facto leader and later president, representing a more common working-class experience as a father and warehouse employee. He's juxtaposed by his young, white, college-educated comrades, like Madeline, a hired "salt."
Other organizers fight to keep Smalls and other Black and brown members safe from potential violence at the hands of security personnel, balancing the need to use his name and image for press attention with the reality of structural racism and police brutality. By the end, many are questioning whether their leader is the right choice, and ardent supporters have changed their tune.
As the ALU negotiates PR spin, the optics of their movement, and the need for third-party support among major labor unions, morals clash, and morale is threatened.
The companies that govern what gets seen are run like tech companies...We're feeling that in what's being bought and distributed and made available. - Brett StoryUnion's production team face some of the same battles, mirroring the ALU in the documentary's efforts to get its message out to the public — Smalls has traveled abroad for film screenings, appeared as an honored guest for the Time 100, and joined the documentary press tour at the Sundance and New York Film festivals — while adhering to the ethos of the movement the film is representing. "There were a lot of voices in the room from an early stage. It was always very collaborative, in ways that, at times, mimicked the group of people we were watching on screen. Because, it turns out, it's really hard to do things collectively," said Story.
Just like their on-screen counterparts, the film's team — backed by what are known as impact partners, like Red Owl, and independent film funders, like the Ford Foundation's JustFilms — are strategizing a play against their own disinterested corporate giant.
The future of "impact films" in the digital age"The companies that govern what gets seen are run like tech companies," said Story. "They're not even run by film people anymore, or media people, who watch stuff because they care. They're run by people who are thinking about their stock options and running things like a startup. We're feeling that in what's being bought and distributed and made available."
Not only that: The state of the "social issue documentary," or "impact film" as they're often called these days, is nebulous. While independent films are growing in popularity among viewers, distribution markets for social issue films have collapsed, being slowly built back up by nonprofits and social organizations. Documentaries are now commonly paired with impact campaigns designed to hit social media audiences with resources or calls-to-action, Union included — not previously a norm.
Tweet may have been deleted"What a documentary film is and how it functions in the world is actually very mysterious to most people," she said. "Unless you're in the film world and you go to film festivals, your idea of a documentary film is just something that's on Netflix."
The decline in political cinema, the preferred term Story uses for work like hers, isn't just an issue among artmakers. It's a democratic concern. To filmmakers like Maing and Story, working out of a storied history of documentarians like Diary of a Harlem Family director Gordon Parks and Primary director Richard Leacock, long-form cinema is just as important a tool to political action as the written word. Citing Parks specifically, Maing refers to the camera as a "weapon of choice" in implicating the most urgent of social issues. It's supported by the rising importance of digital documentation of the world's crises, from citizen journalists in war-torn areas and activists armed with smartphones.
Political cinema, Story added, is "not just a vehicle synonymous with a pamphlet or an essay. Political films are also entertaining, to use the language of the media world — they make us feel alive, they make us feel connected, they pose interesting questions that we keep thinking about." So why won't studios put more investment in them? And what do we lose when they don't?
Historic houses for social issue documentation that support artistic work, like the newsroom, are also losing the corporate consolidation battle, which Story says is concerning. While local news outlets are being lost and capitalism's interests take over decision-making, media and news literacy worsens among consumers. The social media warehouses of modern audiences churn out assembly lines swamped by memes and misinformation, while films like Union struggle to get to viewers. And where streaming services could have been democratizing forces in filmmaking, getting previously inaccessible or uninvested films into the homes of audiences, corporate-owned services are now shutting the gates to audiences and artists.
The current distribution landscape would have us believe that, without a major distributor or streamer studio, you'll be hard pressed to get national exposure for your little documentary. - Stephen Maing"What does it say about the world, and our capacity to become more intelligent actors in it, if the media we consume is governed by a set of cynical calculations about how we can't stand to watch a single image for more than two seconds, and how audiences don't want to see anything except for celebrities and true crime?" asked Story.
Documenting conflict, protest, and change freely is the first hurdle. Getting audiences in community to view the work is another. In Union, organizers crash mandatory meetings of Amazon employees held by union busters, a tactic known as captive audience audience meetings, in order to get out the word on the ALU. In theaters, where audience are similarly held to one space for an extended amount of time, Union hopes to convince viewers to reclaim political power. "It's the only captive audience viewing that is actually beneficial to the people who get to view it," said Maing.
Seeding a people-first film environmentUnion's campaign team, like the ALU's, views their situation as an organizing opportunity, not in economic terms. "When you don't see your needs being met by the existing landscape — whether it's a corporate landscape of jobs or it's a landscape of big unions that you feel like have abandoned you — then you take things into your own hands," said Story.
Union's self-distribution in limited theaters across the country is matched by a wave of guerrilla marketing. The team has and will continue hosting Amazon worker screenings across dozens of Amazon "chokepoint" warehouses vital to the movement. They will launch a five-day screening pegged to Black Friday, inevitably hitting one of Amazon's most profitable days of the year, and even project opportunities to see the film on the sides of Amazon warehouse buildings, just like the ALU did with its own messaging: "You are not a number. You are not disposable. You are a human being."
"This has been a really exciting experience, to call the shots and allow us to be impact and community forward in our distribution ideas," Maing explained, "as opposed to watching our relationship to the actual release of the film be broken and taken out of our control."
Tweet may have been deleted"The ALU was a nascent grassroots organization that was told they would never be able to pull off organizing Amazon. Amazon was an un-organizable space," said Maing. "The current distribution landscape would have us believe that, without a major distributor or streamer studio, you'll be hard pressed to get national exposure for your little documentary. I think the contrary has been proven." Maing says that with the alignment of audiences and filmmakers, big studio and streamer gatekeepers could be taken to task. Amazon, increasingly at the center of both industries, could be hit from all sides.
Such attempts at independent, morally-aligned theatrical campaigns aren't trying to sneak by the industry's gatekeepers, but rather reach the people outside the gates.
"People are hungry for stories that describe and reflect the desire to feel like we have power over our lives," said Story. "That these beasts, these power conglomerates that we're faced with, are not insurmountable. That we can take them on."
The colossal ball of hot gas at the center of our solar system will be lively for the next year, NASA said.
The sun has reached its "solar maximum period," which is a state of heightened activity in its 11-year solar cycle. It's normal, but will almost certainly bring more solar storms — the type that can disrupt our power grid and communication systems, but also light up the sky with brilliant auroras.
"It’s official: We have reached solar max phase!" the space agency posted online. "Expect solar eruptions, auroras, and more."
SEE ALSO: Aliens haven't contacted us. Scientists found a compelling reason why.Similar to storm seasons or climate patterns on Earth, the sun experiences a cycle of weather. The sun's lasts for 11 years. During this pattern, solar activity increases for some 5.5 years, then decreases, then picks up again.
"It's the space equivalent of hurricane season. We're coming into another one," Mark Miesch, a scientist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Prediction Center, told Mashable as solar activity ramped up.
Solar scientists observe sunspots — cooler regions on the sun's surface that often spawn solar eruptions — to determine when the sun reaches the peak, or near peak, of its activity. (Literal solar maximum — the month that solar activity peaks — will occur during this period.) As shown below, more sunspots mean more activity.
Images of the sun during solar minimum (left) and solar maximum (right). Credit: NASA / SDO Tweet may have been deletedThe sun, a medium-sized star, has already manifested intense activity in 2024, producing magnificent Northern Lights. "During May 2024, a barrage of large solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) launched clouds of charged particles and magnetic fields toward Earth, creating the strongest geomagnetic storm at Earth in two decades — and possibly among the strongest displays of auroras on record in the past 500 years," NASA said in a statement.
(When solar particles hit our planet, some are trapped by Earth's magnetic field, where they travel to the poles and collide with the molecules and particles in our atmosphere. During this collision, these atmospheric particles heat up and glow.)
How solar storms impact Earth and peopleThere are different types of potentially problematic solar explosions that can affect Earth:
Solar flares: Explosions of light from the sun's surface. Driven by the behavior of the sun's magnetic field, they expel extreme amounts of energy (visible light, X-rays, and beyond) into space.
Coronal mass ejections (CMEs): These occur when the sun ejects a mass of super hot gas (plasma). "It's like scooping up a piece of the sun and ejecting it into space," NOAA's Miesch explained. Sometimes solar flares trigger CMEs, and sometimes they don't.
Solar energetic particle (SEP) events: These are essentially solar flares with lots of energetic particles. They're especially dangerous to astronauts and satellites.
The big question is how different types of flares and radiation impact our lives. Fortunately, life on Earth is shielded from such particles and radiation. Our atmosphere protects us from things like X-rays and energetic particles emitted into space. Meanwhile, Earth's potent magnetic field (generated by Earth's metallic core) deflects many particles from solar storms and shields us from the sun's relentless solar wind, a continuous flow of particles (electrons and protons) from our star.
Yet a spectrum of potential technological hazards, ranging in seriousness from briefly problematic to extremely damaging, can ensue when the likes of a strong solar flare or CME hits Earth. A powerful CME, for example, can induce intense currents in our power grids, among other deleterious impacts to satellites. Infamously, a potent CME in 1989 knocked out power to millions in Québec, Canada. The CME hit Earth's magnetic field on March 12 of that year, and then, wrote NASA astronomer Sten Odenwald, "Just after 2:44 a.m. on March 13, the currents found a weakness in the electrical power grid of Quebec. In less than two minutes, the entire Quebec power grid lost power. During the 12-hour blackout that followed, millions of people suddenly found themselves in dark office buildings and underground pedestrian tunnels, and in stalled elevators." Scary, indeed.
On left: the sun during solar maximum. On right: the sun during solar minimum. Credit: NASA / SDO Tweet may have been deletedCrucially, even bigger solar storms are inevitable. The largest such episode ever observed was the Carrington Event, in 1859. The solar storms produced auroras so bright, they awoke Rocky Mountain gold miners at 1 a.m., and people could reportedly read newspapers by the eerie atmospheric light.
Such an event today — if not properly prepared for — could stoke widespread electrical blackouts and fry communications satellites. "If that were to occur today it would do a lot of damage," Andrew Layden, chair of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Bowling Green State University, told Mashable. "No one knows when that Carrington-level event is going to happen again." A report from the National Academies says that an estimate of "$1 trillion to $2 trillion during the first year alone was given for the societal and economic costs of a 'severe geomagnetic storm scenario' with recovery times of 4 to 10 years."
Thankfully, we have space weather prediction experts, such as those at NASA and NOAA, who can provide warning of an incoming blast of charged particles and radiation. Power utilities, for example, can temporarily shut down electric grids to avoid permanently-damaged infrastructure.
Enjoy the coming aurora. But don't be surprised if the sun discharges billions of tons of solar matter, traveling millions of miles per hour, straight at Earth.
TL;DR: Turn projects into opportunities with Microsoft Project Pro 2021, now $17.97 (reg. $249) through October 27.
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Opens in a new window Credit: SmartTrainingLab Microsoft Project Professional 2021 for Windows $17.97TL;DR: Get a digital download of two Minecraft editions, Java and Bedrock, for just $19.97 (reg. $29.99) at the Mashable Shop.
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Opens in a new window Credit: Retail King Minecraft: Java & Bedrock Edition (Digital Download) $19.97 at the Mashable ShopTL;DR: This grade-A refurbished Apple MacBook Pro 13" with Touch Bar has 512GB SSD and is just $379.99.
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Whether you’re an entrepreneur, a creative professional, or simply an Apple fan, this grade-A refurbished MacBook Pro with Touch Bar offers most of the features you need for just $379.99 (reg. $979).
StackSocial prices subject to change.
Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple MacBook Pro 13" Touchbar (2017) 3.1GHz i5 8GB RAM 512GB SSD Space Gray (Refurbished) $379.99
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