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Tonight marks day 18 of the lunar cycle, meaning the Moon is in its waning gibbous phase. More than half of its surface is still illuminated, but it’s slowly shrinking each night as it moves toward the New Moon. Keep reading to find out what this means.

What is today’s moon phase?

As of Monday, Dec. 8, the moon phase is Waning Gibbous. This means 83% of the moon is lit up tonight, according to NASA's Daily Moon Observation.

There's still more than half of the moon on display, so with just you naked eye you can see the Mare Tranquillitatis, Tycho Crater, and Copernicus Crater. If have binoculars to hand, pull these out to see the Gassendi Crater, Endymion Crater, and the Alps Mountains. And a telescope will help you see the you can catch a glimpse of the Apollo 16 landing spot, Rima Ariadaeus, and the Linne Crater.

When is the next full moon?

The next full moon will be on Jan. 3.

What are moon phases?

NASA explains that the lunar cycle (which is about 29.5 days long) is made up of the Moon’s phases, which describe how the Moon looks from Earth as it travels around us. We view the same side of the Moon at all times, but the sunlight hitting its surface shifts as it moves through its orbit. That changing illumination is what makes the Moon appear full, half-lit, or not visible at all. The cycle includes eight distinct phases:

New Moon - The moon is between Earth and the sun, so the side we see is dark (in other words, it's invisible to the eye).

Waxing Crescent - A small sliver of light appears on the right side (Northern Hemisphere).

First Quarter - Half of the moon is lit on the right side. It looks like a half-moon.

Waxing Gibbous - More than half is lit up, but it’s not quite full yet.

Full Moon - The whole face of the moon is illuminated and fully visible.

Waning Gibbous - The moon starts losing light on the right side. (Northern Hemisphere)

Third Quarter (or Last Quarter) - Another half-moon, but now the left side is lit.

Waning Crescent - A thin sliver of light remains on the left side before going dark again.

Welcome to your guide to Pips, the latest game in the New York Times catalogue.

Released in August 2025, the Pips puts a unique spin on dominoes, creating a fun single-player experience that could become your next daily gaming habit.

Currently, if you're stuck, the game only offers to reveal the entire puzzle, forcing you to move onto the next difficulty level and start over. However, we have you covered! Below are piecemeal answers that will serve as hints so that you can find your way through each difficulty level.

How to play Pips

If you've ever played dominoes, you'll have a passing familiarity for how Pips is played. As we've shared in our previous hints stories for Pips, the tiles, like dominoes, are placed vertically or horizontally and connect with each other. The main difference between a traditional game of dominoes and Pips is the color-coded conditions you have to address. The touching tiles don't necessarily have to match.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for December 6, 2025

The conditions you have to meet are specific to the color-coded spaces. For example, if it provides a single number, every side of a tile in that space must add up to the number provided. It is possible – and common – for only half a tile to be within a color-coded space.

Here are common examples you'll run into across the difficulty levels:

• Number: All the pips in this space must add up to the number.

• Equal: Every domino half in this space must be the same number of pips.

• Not Equal: Every domino half in this space must have a completely different number of pips.

• Less than: Every domino half in this space must add up to less than the number.

• Greater than: Every domino half in this space must add up to more than the number.

If an area does not have any color coding, it means there are no conditions on the portions of dominoes within those spaces.

SEE ALSO: NYT Strands hints, answers for December 6, 2025 Easy difficulty hints, answers for Dec. 8 Pips

Less Than (1): Everything in this space must be less than 1. The answer is 0-3, placed vertically.

Equal (4): Everything in this space must be equal to 4. The answer is 4-4, placed horizontally; 4-6, placed horizontally.

Number (2): Everything in this space must add up to 2. The answer is 4-2, placed vertically.

Medium difficulty hints, answers for Dec. 8 Pips

Greater Than (4): Everything in this space must be greater than 4. The answer is 6-2, placed horizontally.

Equal (2): Everything in this red space must be equal to 2. The answer is 6-2, placed horizontally; 1-2, placed horizontally; 2-4, placed vertically.

Greater Than (4): Everything in this orange space must be greater than 4. The answer is 4-6, placed vertically.

Number (3): Everything in this space must add up to 3. The answer is 1-3, placed horizontally.

Greater Than (1): Everything in this space must be greater than 1. The answer is 6-1, placed horizontally.

Equal (1): Everything in this light blue space must be equal to 1. The answer is 1-2, placed horizontally; 1-3, placed horizontally; 6-1, placed horizontally.

Equal (4): Everything in this green space must be equal to 4. The answer is 0-4, placed horizontally; 2-4, placed vertically.

Hard difficulty hints, answers for Dec. 8 Pips

Number (7): Everything in this space must add up to 7. The answer is 0-3, placed vertically; 4-1, placed vertically.

Equal (1): Everything in this green space must be equal to 1. The answer is 4-1, placed vertically; 1-0, placed horizontally.

Equal (0): Everything in this light blue space must be equal to 0. The answer is 1-0, placed horizontally; 0-6, placed horizontally.

Number (21): Everything in this space must add up to 21. The answer is 2-5, placed horizontally; 5-5, placed horizontally; 6-3, placed vertically.

Greater Than (2): Everything in this space must be greater than 2. The answer is 6-3, placed vertically.

Number (12): Everything in this space must add up to 21. The answer is 2-6, placed vertically; 0-6, placed horizontally.

Number (0): Everything in this space must add up to 0. The answer is 0-0, placed horizontally; 0-4, placed vertically.

Equal (4): Everything in this space must be equal to 4. The answer is 0-4, placed vertically; 4-2, placed vertically.

Equal (2): Everything in this space must be equal to 2. The answer is 1-2, placed vertically; 2-2, placed horizontally; 4-2, placed vertically.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Today's Connections: Sports Edition will be easy if you live in the Mile High City.

As we've shared in previous hints stories, this is a 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.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable 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.

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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.

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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.

SEE ALSO: Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL. 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: Mile High sports

• Green: Levels of football

• Blue: Billionaires

• Purple: MACtion

Here are today's Connections: Sports Edition categories

Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:

• Yellow: Denver Teams

• Green: Words That Come Before "Football"

• Blue: NFL Owners

• Purple: MAC Team Nicknames

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 #441 is...

What is the answer to Connections: Sports Edition today?

• Denver Teams - AVALANCHE, BRONCOS, NUGGETS, ROCKIES

• Words That Come Before "Football" - AMERICAN, COLLEGE, FANTASY, FLAG

• NFL Owners - BLANK, HUNT, KRAFT, YORK

• MAC Team Nicknames - GOLDEN FLASHES, MINUTEMEN, ROCKETS, ZIPS

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new sports 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 today's Connections.

Subscriptions are the new cable, and if you're not careful, you might find that your subscription costs wind up creeping higher than any cable subscription ever did.

Linux is generally less prone to malware than Windows, and so long as you're careful about the commands you enter, Linux systems tend to age much more gracefully than Windows systems. However, no system is truly immune to malware, and blindly following instructions online can easily break something on your system if you're not cautious. That is where immutable distros can save the day.

Windows has a vast ecosystem of its own apps, but many of my current favorite apps for Windows actually started their digital lives on Linux. If you're looking for a few free or open-source alternatives to your conventional Windows apps, some of these options are a great place to start.

Hot take: 1TB SSDs are fine for some people, but not for most people. Not anymore.

One of the most anticipated television events of the year has arrived—well, at least part one of it has—and with it comes the return of our favorite monster-fighting 80s teens. It’s been a long three-year wait, but Stranger Things season five has begun. The only bummer is that it’s dropping in three volumes. While we'd all love for the final season to drop at once, we must be patient.

We all know and rely on the glorious copy-paste shortcut. Seriously, imagine having to right-click to copy and then right-click to paste every single time you need to move a snippet of text. Frustrating, right? It completely breaks your rhythm!

Meta is delaying the release of its anticipated mixed reality headset, codename "Phoenix," and will focus on next-gen devices and wearables over the next year.

In an internal memo, Reality Labs Vice President Maher Saba stated that the commands originated from CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who instructed Reality Labs teams to focus on "higher quality experiences" and other efforts to make the business more sustainable. Saba clarified to employees that the extended timeline was not due to the device receiving additional features, but rather to encourage teams to refine the details.

SEE ALSO: Pixel Watch updates its 'always on' display for media controls and timers

Other Meta VR leaders, including Reality Labs executives Gabriel Aul and Ryan Cairns, added that the decision would give them more "breathing room" to complete the product, as reported by Business Insider. "There's a lot coming in hot with tight bring-up schedules and big changes to our core UX, and we won't compromise on landing a fully polished and reliable experience," they wrote in another memo.

The glasses reportedly look similar to Apple's Vision Pro glasses, with a goggle-like shape and an external computing puck that makes the unit extremely lightweight. Insiders say it will run on the same Horizon OS as Meta’s Quest headsets.

Meta will instead aim for a 2026 release of a "limited edition" wearable device, called "Malibu 2," as well as a next-generation Meta Quest device. Aul and Cairns said the revamp will include a major capabilities upgrade focused on immersive gaming.

There are some features that are easy to immediately dismiss as gimmicks. Then, over time, they start to make sense. Apple’s "Personas" are one such feature, one Samsung and Google seriously need to imitate.

Today, downloading a free Unix-like system for a PC or a single-board computer like a Raspberry Pi is routine. In the late '80s and early '90s, as computer hardware improved, these systems brought Unix power down from minicomputers and workstations to the personal level before the arrival of Linux.

Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat. Most of my friends and relatives know that I'm a self-confessed geek and will often buy me tech gifts that they're sure I'll love. Sometimes, however, they would have been better off saving their money. If you're looking to buy something for a tech lover, please don't get them these gifts.

If you’ve ever had to reinstall everything on your Mac, or even on a second machine, you’ll know what a struggle it is. Even keeping track of what’s installed can be a pain if, like me, you’re constantly trying out new software.

Streaming services such as Spotify and Apple Music give you access to hundreds of millions of songs, but they're quite restrictive in how you can use them. They may not include some of the music you want to listen to, and you may not be able to play those streaming services through some of your speakers. Music Assistant allows you to play music from a wide range of sources on almost any speaker in your home.

Melissa McCarthy served up some of her classic physical comedy in a new Saturday Night Live sketch about what happens when a sales associate is just really, really nice to you on a particularly bad day.

SEE ALSO: Netflix to buy Warner Bros.: 5 properties Netflix would own under deal

Playing a severely touch-starved and jealous suburban woman, McCarthy doesn't quite know how to respond to cast member Jeremy Culhane's kindly grocery store employee, who has just handed her some soft and tasty Raclette. McCarthy, the owner of a pack of ill-behaved dogs, gives Culhane a family heirloom, pats him with soft caresses, and violates several other HR policies, all in the name of a little bite of cheese. I get it.

The spirit of Christmas has taken over 30 Rock, and this week's Saturday Night Live host, Melissa McCarthy, joined in with a sketch about spreading joy through acts of kindness.

Well, kind of.

Following her young neighbor's heartwarming decision to shovel her snowy path, McCarthy — the elderly, seemingly innocuous grandma next door — decided to return the favor, with a series of gifts that escalate in terrifying, hilarious ways.

SEE ALSO: What's new to streaming this week? (Dec. 5, 2025)

A bully (Marcello Hernandez) hog-tied on the front lawn, two women and a pimp on the doorstep, a gun in a nicely-wrapped box — it's like some kind of messed-up Grinch fable. Grandma might be a psychopathic killer, but her misguided attempts are still spreading holiday cheer.

Colin Jost's Pete Hegseth returned to Saturday Night Live this week to kick off the Melissa McCarthy-hosted episode, featuring Dane Cook jokes, 6-7, and the ongoing conflict with Venezuela.

The Defense Secretary sauntered into the White House press room like a WWE superstar, crushing cans and berating journalists with insults like a particularly annoying middle school bully as he answered questions about what he dubbed "Operation Kill Everybody."

"As you probably read in some gay newspaper, we're now at war with Venezuela," the government leader told the press pool.

SEE ALSO: Where to watch the best holiday movies

Hegseth was joined by "reporter" Matt Gaetz (Sarah Squirm) and "high-energy Alpha" President Donald Trump (James Austin Johnson), with the latter nodding off in the corner while dreaming about NYC Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani.

Driving today is all about balancing focusing on the road while trying to handle all the other things that happen when you are navigating busy streets. Waze understands that the best way to make roads safer and get the most efficiency is by letting drivers chat with the app.

2025 is the year I bought both a Nintendo Switch 2 and a Samsung Galaxy XR headset, but my favorite tech purchase isn’t either of those things. That would, surprisingly, be a night light. But this isn’t just any night light.