Entertainment
Moon phase today: What the Moon will look like on January 30
Have you noticed the Moon is getting a little bigger each night this week? That’s because of where we are in the lunar cycle, a 29.5 cycle of the Moon’s phases. Right now, we’re just a few days away from the Full Moon. After this point, it will start getting smaller each night.
What is today’s Moon phase?
As of Friday, Jan. 30, the Moon phase is Waxing Gibbous. According to NASA’s Daily Moon Guide, 92% of the Moon will be lit up tonight.
The Moon is so close to being full, so there’s plenty to see. If you don’t have any visual aids, you can still enjoy glimpses of the Mares Imbrium, Fecunditatis, and Crisium.With binoculars, you’ll also be able to see the Gassendi Crater, Mare Frigoris, and Posidonius Crater. With a telescope, you should also be able to spot the Apollo 11 landing spot, Gruithuisen Domes, and Rima Hyginus.
When is the next Full Moon?
The next Full Moon will be on Feb. 1. The last full moon was on Jan. 3.
What are Moon phases?
According to NASA, the lunar cycle lasts around 29.5 days. This is how long the Moon takes to travel once around Earth. Over that period, it passes through eight recognised phases. The same side of the Moon always faces our planet, however the portion that appears lit changes as the Moon moves along its orbit. The amount of sunlight reaching the Moon is what makes it appear full, partially illuminated, or almost invisible at different points in the cycle. The eight lunar phases are:
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).
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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.
Entertainment
Sam Darnold meme fans rally around their Super Bowl champ
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold was once — is still, really — a meme. He is also a Super Bowl champion. And social media lit up on Sunday because of that fact.
Darnold was perhaps the story of 2026’s Super Bowl LX — won by the Seattle Seahawks over the New England Patriots — because everyone loves an underdog. Darnold, a former top prospect, flamed out while playing for the flailing New York Jets and Carolina Panthers. Pit stops in San Francisco and Minnesota then led to Sunday’s triumphant victory with Seattle.
It was a full reversal for Darnold, who was once relegated to memedom. An admittedly hilarious graphic from 2019 created a meme format — Darnold pointing while given a random illness or ailment.
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Fans of Darnold, widely known as a chill and good guy, even created a subreddit called r/The_Darnold, where they celebrated the QB and all his associated memes. He was both beloved and mocked. Naturally, then, the memes flowed as Darnold led Seattle to victory in Super Bowl LX on Sunday. It was largely a celebration of an athlete who overcame lots of doubt and tough times.
It’s always heartwarming you get to see such an amazing comeback story — and the internet certainly celebrated Darnold’s moment in the sun on Sunday.
Entertainment
Hurdle hints and answers for February 9, 2026
If you like playing daily word games like Wordle, then Hurdle is a great game to add to your routine.
There are five rounds to the game. The first round sees you trying to guess the word, with correct, misplaced, and incorrect letters shown in each guess. If you guess the correct answer, it’ll take you to the next hurdle, providing the answer to the last hurdle as your first guess. This can give you several clues or none, depending on the words. For the final hurdle, every correct answer from previous hurdles is shown, with correct and misplaced letters clearly shown.
An important note is that the number of times a letter is highlighted from previous guesses does necessarily indicate the number of times that letter appears in the final hurdle.
If you find yourself stuck at any step of today’s Hurdle, don’t worry! We have you covered.
Hurdle Word 1 hint
Otherworldly.
Hurdle Word 1 answer
GODLY
Hurdle Word 2 hint
To saturate.
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Hurdle Word 2 Answer
IMBUE
Hurdle Word 3 hint
To scrape by.
Hurdle Word 3 answer
EKING
Hurdle Word 4 hint
To hunt.
Hurdle Word 4 answer
CHASE
Final Hurdle hint
Office work.
Hurdle Word 5 answer
ADMIN
If you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Entertainment
Stuff Your Kindle Day just went live — download 100s of free romance books for your Kindle
FREE BOOKS: The latest Stuff Your Kindle Day takes place on Feb. 9-13. The new Free Romance Book Blast offers romance books in a variety of subgenres for your e-reader.
Have you got big plans for Valentine’s Day? Cancel them, because a new Stuff Your Kindle Day just dropped.
The Stuff Your Kindle Day schedule has been predictably hectic in 2026. We had a number of free giveaways in January, but February is on another level. We count nine events this month. Not all of them are huge, but between the niche events and massive drops, bookworms are going to be kept busy.
The latest giveaway is hosted by the Indie Author Collective. Be My Valentine is a romance book blast, offering (you guessed it) free romance books from a variety of subgenres. Everything that you download for free is yours to keep forever, so don’t hold back. So what if you’ve already got a huge stack of books waiting to be read. Add to your virtual pile without guilt.
Looking to make the most of the latest Stuff Your Kindle Day? We’ve lined up everything you need to know about this popular event.
When is Stuff Your Kindle Day?
Be My Valentine takes place on Feb. 9-13. Recent Stuff Your Kindle Days have only lasted 24 hours, meaning participants have needed to act fast. That’s stressful, so this five-day event is a welcome change. You can take stock of your options, pick your favorites, and download without getting worked up. It’s much more civilized.
Which ebooks are free?
Be My Valentine is all about romance titles. There’s a helpful hub page put together by the Indie Author Collective with filters for major tropes, spice levels, content levels, and representation. Here you can peruse the 100s of options or filter to find something that perfectly lines up with your preferences.
It’s important to note that anyone can participate in Stuff Your Kindle Day. Kindle and Kobo readers can download these romance books for free.
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Is Stuff Your Kindle Day the same as Amazon Kindle Unlimited?
Everything you download on Stuff Your Kindle Day is yours to keep, and there’s no limit on the number of books you can download. Stuff Your Kindle Day downloads don’t count towards the 20 books that Amazon Kindle Unlimited subscribers can borrow at the same time.
The best Stuff Your Kindle Day deal
Why we like it
These popular e-readers help you take your entire library on the go. With weeks of battery life and an anti-glare display, you can read anywhere and anytime with the Kindle. Plus, you can get three months of Kindle Unlimited for free with your purchase.
