February 2025 Planet Parade: How to See Five Planets Align in the Sky

A spectacular celestial event is set to unfold in February 2025, as five of the brightest planets—Venus, Jupiter, Mars, Mercury and Saturn—become visible together in the evening sky. The alignment will peak on February 24, when Mercury and Saturn will appear closest to each other, creating a striking visual near the horizon. Skywatchers with a clear view of the western sky at dusk will have the opportunity to witness this planetary display, with Uranus and Neptune also observable through telescopes or binoculars. Similar alignments have been recorded in the past, but this particular configuration offers an accessible viewing window for astronomy enthusiasts and casual observers alike. The next comparable event will not occur until October 2028, making this a rare chance to observe multiple planets in a single glance.

Venus and Saturn: A Contrasting Pair

According to reports, Venus will dominate the evening sky as the brightest of the five planets, shining prominently in the west-southwest. Despite its intense luminosity, Saturn, appearing below Venus, will be significantly dimmer due to its current ring orientation, which reflects less sunlight. Telescopic observation will reveal the rings as a thin line bisecting Saturn's disk. As the month progresses, Saturn will sink lower into the horizon, becoming increasingly challenging to spot by the end of February.

Jupiter and Mars Brighten the Night

Jupiter will be another standout feature, appearing high in the southern sky with its signature silvery-white glow. Its four largest moons—Europa, Ganymede, Callisto and Io—will be visible through binoculars, particularly on February 25-26, when three of them will form a distinct triangular formation. Meanwhile, Mars, positioned in the eastern sky, will share its space with Gemini's twin stars, Pollux and Castor. This trio will shift gradually across the sky, offering a dynamic spectacle throughout the month.

Mercury and Saturn's Close Encounter

Mercury will emerge in the final week of February, reaching peak brightness on February 24, when it will align closely with Saturn. The two planets will be separated by only 1.5 degrees, with Mercury shining nearly eight times brighter. Observers will need a clear west-southwest horizon and binoculars to spot both planets, particularly as Saturn fades into the twilight.

Uranus and Neptune: The Fainter Participants

For those equipped with telescopes or high-powered binoculars, Uranus and Neptune will also be within reach. Uranus, with its faint greenish hue, might be visible under dark-sky conditions, while Neptune will require optical aid due to its lower brightness. The latter will spend the month in Pisces, gradually vanishing into the brightening evening sky before its solar conjunction in March.

Skywatchers hoping to view this rare planetary alignment should mark their calendars for February 24, when the best chance to witness all five bright planets together will occur.

 

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Ear Muscles Flex to Help Focus on Sounds, Study Reveals Evolutionary Link

A study has found that small muscles in the human ear flex when an individual tries to focus on a particular sound in a noisy environment. These muscles, which were once crucial for movement in ancestral species, no longer play a significant role in modern human hearing. However, their activation suggests an evolutionary remnant of a once-functional auditory system. Researchers believe that understanding these subtle muscular responses could contribute to advancements in hearing aid technology.

Research Findings on Ear Muscles

According to the study published in Frontiers in Neuroscience, experiments were conducted by Saarland University in Germany to examine the response of auricular muscles during listening tasks. Participants with normal hearing were exposed to overlapping audio sources while their ear muscles were monitored using electrodes. The results indicated that the superior auricular muscles, located above the ears, became more active as the difficulty of distinguishing sounds increased.

In contrast, the posterior auricular muscles, which are situated behind the ears, showed heightened activity when sounds originated from behind the participants. It has been suggested that these reflexive movements may have once helped early humans detect sounds outside their direct line of sight.

Potential Applications in Hearing Aids

Steven Hackley, a researcher at the University of Missouri, stated to Live Science that these findings could influence future hearing aid development. He explained that if hearing aids could detect muscle activation, they might be able to automatically amplify sounds in the direction a person is trying to focus on.

While some researchers believe the study provides insights into how humans attempt to enhance their hearing, others have noted that the increased muscle activity may not necessarily correlate with listening effort. Matthew Winn, a researcher at the University of Minnesota, stated to Live Science that the muscle response could instead reflect a heightened state of alertness rather than a conscious attempt to hear better.

 

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Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra Tipped to Get Under-Display Camera (UDC) Similar to Galaxy Z Fold 6

Samsung Galaxy S25 series will go on sale later this week, but initial leaks about next year's Galaxy S26 lineup have already started circulating online. Samsung hasn't introduced any significant upgrades to the front camera setup on its flagship phones in recent years, but the latest leak suggests that the Galaxy S26 Ultra could change this trend. The early prototypes of the Galaxy S26 Ultra are said to be missing the selfie camera cutout in their displays, which could mean that next year's Ultra model could borrow a feature from the Galaxy Z Fold 6. 

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra May Offer Full-Screen Experience

Tipster Kro on X suggested that Samsung is testing a UDC (Under Display Camera) for its Galaxy S26 Ultra. The display of the prototype is said to lack a notch or a hole-punch cutout for the selfie camera.

Samsung already employed an under-display camera unit on the inner screen of Galaxy Z Fold smartphones. The feature was introduced with the Galaxy Z Fold 3. By keeping it hidden under the display, the UDC allows users to enjoy videos or games uninterrupted by any cutout. It is primarily used for video calls and facial recognition for unlocking the device. 

 Apart from the UDC, Samsung is said to be evaluating a 200-megapixel periscope telephoto camera with a 1/1.5-inch sensor size for the Galaxy S26 Ultra model. The Galaxy S26 series is expected to feature 65W wired fast charging. This would be a considerable improvement over the 45W charging offered by the Galaxy S25 lineup. 

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is also said to be the brand's first bar-type smartphone to feature the latest Colour Filter on Encapsulation (CoE) technology, which is claimed to reduce power consumption and increase light transmittance. It could run on Qualcomm's flagship Snapdragon hardware. The non-ultra models in the Galaxy S26 series, on the other hand, are rumoured to ship with the company's in-house Exynos chips.

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iPhone 15 Becomes the Best-Selling Smartphone of 2024, Samsung Also on the List With 3 Models: Canalys

Apple dominated the list of the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) with the most smartphones shipped in 2024, according to claims by a market research firm. The Cupertino-based technology giant had as many as seven iPhone models in the top 10 best-selling smartphones of 2024 list, with its new flagship iPhone 16 Pro Max also becoming a runaway success, even though it only debuted in September 2024. Meanwhile, Samsung just about managed to earn its place in the top five rankings courtesy of the Galaxy A15.

Notably, Apple had also secured the top spot in Q4 2024 with a 23 percent market share, driven by its latest iPhone 16 series.

Best-Selling Smartphones of 2024

A report by market analysis firm Canalys reveals that the global smartphone market grew by 7 percent year-on-year (YoY) in 2024, reaching 1.22 billion units. This is said to be the first recovery after two consecutive years of decline in smartphone shipments. Apple retained its crown as the company with the most smartphone shipments in the year from 2023, even though iPhone shipments declined by 1 percent to 225.9 million units.

Samsung's smartphone shipments also saw a 1 percent decline to 222.9 million units in 2024 and it finished just beneath Apple. Xiaomi continued its strong growth, finishing third on the list, registering a 15 percent growth to 168.6 million units. Transsion Holdings, which owns brands like Tecno, Infinix, and Itel, ranked fourth, while Oppo (including OnePlus) rounded off the top five.

While iPhone 15 topped the charts of the best-selling smartphones of 2024, Apple's iPhone 16 Pro Max and iPhone 15 Pro Max ranked second and third, respectively. Meanwhile, the Galaxy A15 was the only other phone in the top five rankings, earning the fourth place, and the iPhone 16 Pro completed the top five list. Interestingly, no other brand apart from Apple and Samsung had a device in the top 10 best-selling list. It was dominated by Apple with seven iPhone models, followed by Samsung's three offerings, although only one was a flagship device; Galaxy S24 Ultra. The entire list of the top 10 best-selling smartphones is as follows:

1. iPhone 15
2. iPhone 16 Pro Max
3. iPhone 15 Pro Max
4. Samsung Galaxy A15
5. iPhone 16 Pro
6. iPhone 15 Pro
7. iPhone 16
8. Samsung Galaxy A15 5G
9. Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
10. iPhone 13

As per the market research firm, 2025 brings complexities both globally and regionally. Growth is said to have slowed down as several markets reach a point of saturation. Thus, vendors may have to find the correct balance between short-term performance, inventory management and long-term investments to succeed.

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Nothing Phone 3a Teased to Come With a Camera Button for Quick Snapshots

Nothing Phone 3a series is scheduled to be launched on March 4. Ahead of its anticipated debut, the British original equipment manufacturer (OEM) has shared a teaser of one of the purported phones which hints towards the inclusion of a new button. It is speculated to be a quick shutter that activates the camera, similar to the Camera Control button on the iPhone 16 models. Notably, the base Nothing Phone 3a is tipped to be accompanied by a Pro variant as part of the Phone 3a series, with the latter marking a first for the company.

Camera Button on the Nothing Phone 3a Series

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Nothing shared a teaser which provides a glimpse of the phone's side profile. A new button appears to be placed beneath the power button. While the company is yet to reveal more information, it is widely speculated to be for the camera. If Nothing follows the same path as other OEMs, then a single press of the button may activate the camera while pressing it again would snap a photo.

Your second memory, one click away.

Power in Perspective. 4 March 10:00 GMT. pic.twitter.com/FHhAgzSZBz

— Nothing (@nothing) February 3, 2025

However, fans also speculate that it may have other functionality altogether. One of the theories suggest it could be an alert slider, similar to the one found on devices made by Carl Pei's former company, OnePlus. Meanwhile, the company is also planning to bet big on artificial intelligence (AI) this year and it may be a button for invoking the Nothing Phone 3a's voice assistant.

Other speculation hints towards it being a multi-purpose toggle for several actions, comparable to the iPhone's action button which can be set to perform different functions such as putting the phone on silent mode, activating the flashlight, changing the focus mode, and opening the camera.

However, this is based purely on speculation and its purpose is expected to be revealed in the days leading up to the launch of the Nothing Phone 3a series, which is scheduled for March 4.

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Poco F7 Global Variant Reportedly Spotted on EEC Certification Site, Expected to Launch Soon

Poco F7 has been the subject of numerous rumours in recent weeks, alongside the speculated Poco F7 Pro and Poco F7 Ultra variants. Earlier reports suggested that the higher-end Pro and Ultra models are unlikely to launch in India. However, a "special edition" variant is expected to debut alongside the standard model in the country. Now, the global version of the Poco F7 has reportedly been listed on a certification site, hinting at its imminent availability in Europe.

Poco F7 Global Variant EEC Listing 

The Poco F7 with the model number 25053PC47G was spotted on the European Economic Community (EEC) database, according to a report by The Tech Outlook. It appears with the notification number KZ0000009843 and the listing suggests the certification will be valid till December 31, 2034, the report added.

The 'G' in the model number indicates that this is the global variant of the purported Poco F7. The EEC listing also suggests that the phone will be available in European markets. However, it does not reveal any other specifications or features of the handset. 

Earlier reports have claimed that the vanilla Poco F7 could launch with similar features as the Redmi Turbo 4, which was unveiled in China in January. The handset could be powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 8400-Ultra SoC and ship with Android 15-based HyperOS 2.0. It is expected to sport a 6.67-inch 1.5K OLED display with Corning Gorilla Glass 7i protection and Dolby Vision support.

For optics, the Poco F7 could be equipped with a 50-megapixel primary rear sensor, an 8-megapixel ultrawide camera, and a 20-megapixel selfie camera. For security, the handset could carry an in-display fingerprint sensor. It may be backed by a 6,550mAh battery with support for 90W wired fast charging. 

Notably, the Poco F7 Ultra has been tipped to be "exclusive to global sectors." The Pro variant is expected to launch in select global markets alongside the base Poco F7. 

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Apple Will Reportedly Launch New iCloud-Based ‘Confetti’ Service for Event Invites This Week

Apple may roll out a dedicated service for events and invites as soon as this week, according to a recent newsletter published by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. It is likely to be iCloud-based and could build upon the company's recent ambitions of revamping its Calendar app. The new service is said to be tied to the Cupertino-based technology giant's most recent update for the iPhone, which was released to the public last week.

Apple's ‘Confetti' Service

In the latest edition of his Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman highlights that Apple's new iCloud-based service may be dubbed ‘Confetti'. It is expected to be released internally as soon as this week as a “new way to invite people to parties, functions, and meetings”. The journalist says it will be tied to the iOS 18.3 update, which was released recently with key changes to the Apple Intelligence-powered notification summaries feature.

However, it still remains unknown if Apple will offer its new ‘Confetti' service as a standalone app or as a mini app within other apps such as Messages or Calendar.

This revelation builds upon the recent claims that the company was developing a new app dubbed ‘Invites' which is designed for organising meetings and sharing invites for in-person and online events. With this new service, Apple is speculated to provide users with a list of the people invited to a certain event and inform them about those who have RSVP'd their attendance for it.

The references for the app were reportedly discovered in the latest beta version of iOS 18.3's code.

Apple could differentiate this service from the existing Calendar app, which offers similar functionality, by adding some additional features. The company is reported to offer iCloud integration and it could even have a web version on iCloud.com. Further, it may also be integrated with a daemon in Apple's operating systems dubbed GroupKit. It enables communication and sharing between apps and users leveraging app groups, groups, and, GroupActivityMetadata.

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