For the first time, astronomers combined Hubble and Webb space telescopes to hunt down some of the smallest, faintest objects ever spotted in the outer Solar System.
The post Hubble and Webb Team Up to Spy Tiny Frozen Worlds beyond Neptune appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Science News.
HomePod room temperature automations turn Apple’s smart speaker into more than a source of music and Siri responses. Its built-in climate sensor can trigger fans, thermostats, smart plugs, shades and other compatible accessories when a room becomes warmer or cooler than a selected temperature.
The automation runs through Apple’s Home app. Once configured, it does not require someone to ask Siri for the current reading or leave an iPhone inside the room. HomePod measures the local conditions while the home hub evaluates the rule and controls the selected accessories.
A bedroom fan could start when the room rises above 24°C, for example. A compatible thermostat could activate heating when an office falls below 18°C, while motorized shades could close before afternoon heat makes a living room uncomfortable.
The same system works with humidity. HomePod can trigger a compatible humidifier, dehumidifier or ventilation accessory when relative humidity crosses a chosen level.
Temperature and humidity sensing is available on HomePod mini and HomePod (2nd generation).
The original full-size HomePod does not contain the supported climate sensor. It can act as a home hub and participate in scenes, but it cannot supply the temperature reading used to start this type of automation.
HomePod mini is sometimes overlooked because Apple did not activate its temperature and humidity sensor when the speaker originally launched in 2020. A later software update enabled the component, allowing existing HomePod mini units to report climate information without a hardware upgrade.
Both supported models should run the latest available HomePod software. The iPhone or iPad used to configure the home should also be updated because older software may not display every sensor or automation option correctly.
HomePod normally updates automatically. Its version can be checked in the Home app by opening the HomePod, selecting its settings and scrolling to the software information.
The room assigned to HomePod determines how its readings appear in the Home app and how Siri interprets questions about local conditions.
A HomePod physically located in the bedroom but assigned to Living Room will report its sensor as part of the living-room climate group. This becomes especially confusing when several HomePods are installed throughout the home.
To verify the room, open the Home app, touch and hold the HomePod tile, open Accessory Settings and check the Room field. Assign a descriptive name to the HomePod as well, particularly when two supported speakers occupy nearby spaces.
The sensor does not measure an entire home. It reports conditions near the HomePod, so the assigned room should correspond to its physical location.
The current reading is available through Siri or the Home app.
A person can ask Siri, “What is the temperature in here?” when speaking to the HomePod inside that room. Questions can also identify a different room, such as “What is the temperature in the bedroom?” or “What is the humidity in the basement?”
In the Home app, open the Home tab and select Climate near the top of the screen. Choose Temperature to see readings from available climate sensors. Opening an individual room can make it easier to identify the relevant HomePod when several sensors are installed.
The Home app may display a range rather than one number when multiple temperature sensors belong to the same room or home. Opening the temperature category reveals the individual readings behind that range.
A newly restarted or updated HomePod may not show a result immediately. Apple says the sensor requires time to calibrate after startup.
The temperature sensor appears as an automation trigger rather than an accessory that can be turned on or off. The user defines a threshold and then selects what another compatible accessory should do when the reading crosses it.
The selected action could turn on a fan, change a compatible thermostat, close shades or activate an existing scene containing several accessories.
HomePod does not produce cool or warm air itself. It supplies the measurement and functions as a home hub, while the automation controls other equipment connected to Apple Home.
The direction of the trigger is important.
Rises Above starts the automation when the measured temperature moves from below the selected value to above it. This is the usual option for starting a fan, lowering compatible shades or changing a thermostat to a cooler setting.
Drops Below works in the opposite direction. It can start heating, turn off a fan or activate another accessory when the room becomes colder than the selected level.
These are threshold-crossing events, not continuous questions asking whether the room is currently above or below a value. If the room is already warmer than 24°C when a new Rises Above 24°C automation is saved, the rule may not run immediately. The reading generally needs to fall below the threshold and then rise across it again.
This behavior also explains why an automation may not repeatedly react while the room remains on the same side of the threshold. Another transition must occur before the trigger fires again.
The Home app can restrict a temperature automation to particular times or household conditions.
A bedroom fan may only need to run overnight. Heating in a home office could remain inactive on weekends. A cooling automation might operate only when someone is home, while another rule protects temperature-sensitive equipment regardless of occupancy.
The People condition can limit an automation to when somebody is home, when nobody is home or when selected household members are present or absent. These conditions depend on location access and the devices associated with members of the Apple Home.
Time restrictions should match the behavior of the controlled accessory. Closing shades during the hottest afternoon hours may be useful, but the same action would provide little benefit after sunset.
An automation can also activate a scene instead of controlling one product. A Hot Afternoon scene could close the west-facing shades, start a fan and turn off heat-producing decorative lights with one sensor trigger.
A smart fan is one of the simplest accessories to control. When the temperature rises above a comfortable level, the Home app can turn on a HomeKit or Matter-compatible fan. A second automation can stop it after the room cools.
A thermostat offers more direct climate control, but the available actions depend on the thermostat manufacturer. Apple Home may expose power, heating, cooling and target-temperature controls, while more advanced scheduling remains inside the manufacturer’s app.
Motorized shades can reduce solar heating before an air conditioner needs to work harder. A temperature trigger can close selected shades when a sun-facing room becomes warm, particularly when the automation is limited to daytime hours.
A ceiling fan or portable fan connected through a smart switch or smart plug can also respond to the HomePod sensor. The connected controller must be rated for the appliance, and the appliance must safely resume operation when power is restored. Products with electronic controls may remain off after a smart plug turns them back on.
Portable heaters and air conditioners require greater caution. Many smart plugs are not designed for their electrical load, and some appliance manufacturers prohibit external switching. A compatible thermostat or manufacturer-supported controller is safer than treating high-power climate equipment like a lamp.
HomePod exposes temperature and relative humidity as separate sensors.
A bathroom or laundry-room HomePod could trigger ventilation when humidity rises above a chosen level. A dehumidifier with a compatible control could operate in a damp basement, while a humidifier could respond when heated winter air becomes too dry.
The setup process is almost identical to a temperature automation. Select A Sensor Detects Something, choose the HomePod’s humidity sensor, set Rises Above or Drops Below and assign the action.
Humidity automations also benefit from separate starting and stopping thresholds. Turning a dehumidifier on above 65 percent and off below 55 percent creates a useful operating range instead of responding repeatedly around one value.
HomePod measures the conditions around the speaker, not at the center of the room or inside an air-conditioning return.
Placing it beside a sunny window, heater, fireplace, kitchen appliance or air vent can produce readings that do not represent the space where people spend time. An enclosed shelf may also trap warmer air around the device.
The speaker needs airflow and a stable surface. It should not be covered or placed where condensation, cooking steam or direct moisture can reach it.
Extended audio playback at high volume can reduce sensor accuracy because heat generated by the speaker may influence the local reading. This matters when an automation uses a narrow threshold and the HomePod frequently plays loud music.
Apple says temperature sensing is optimized for indoor domestic environments between approximately 15°C and 30°C. Humidity sensing is optimized between about 30 and 70 percent relative humidity. Readings outside those ranges may be less accurate.
HomePod is therefore useful for comfort-oriented home automation, but it should not replace specialized monitoring required for medicine, food storage, animals, greenhouses or other temperature-sensitive environments.
Begin by confirming that the temperature reading itself appears in the Home app. If it is missing, verify the HomePod model, install current software and allow time for calibration after restarting.
Check that the correct temperature sensor was selected. Homes containing multiple HomePods may present several sensors with similar names, particularly when the speakers were never given descriptive room assignments.
Open the automation and confirm that it is enabled. Review its time and People conditions, because a functioning temperature trigger will still do nothing when an additional condition is not satisfied.
Use the Test This Automation control to confirm that the destination accessory responds. If the test fails, the problem is more likely to involve the accessory, its network connection or the selected action than the HomePod sensor.
If the test succeeds but the rule does not run naturally, remember that the temperature must cross the threshold in the selected direction. Temporarily choosing a value closer to the current room temperature can make testing easier.
Home hubs and accessories should remain connected to the same Apple Home. Thread-based accessories also need a supported Thread-enabled home hub or border router, such as HomePod mini, HomePod (2nd generation) or a compatible Apple TV 4K.
A single automation can start a device but may not provide the best way to stop it.
Using the same threshold in opposite directions can cause frequent switching when the measured temperature fluctuates around that value. A room hovering near 24°C, for example, could repeatedly move just above and below the boundary.
A more stable arrangement uses two thresholds. One automation turns the fan on when the temperature rises above 24°C. A separate automation turns it off when the temperature drops below 22°C.
The gap creates a controlled operating range. Once the fan starts, it can continue working until the room has cooled meaningfully rather than stopping after a minor change.
Heating can follow the reverse pattern. One automation activates heat below 18°C, while another stops it above 20°C. Humidifiers and dehumidifiers can use the same paired-rule structure.
This separation also makes troubleshooting easier because every automation performs one clear action in response to one specific sensor transition. Instead of asking one complicated rule to manage the complete climate cycle, HomePod supplies the measurements while two predictable Home app automations define when the connected equipment starts and stops.
The post HomePod Room Temperature Automations in the Home App appeared first on AppleMagazine.
New data from NASA’s Juno spacecraft show temperatures spike more than 20 degrees Celsius just a few meters under Io’s surface, providing the first look at what’s happening below the crust of the Solar System’s most volcanic world.
The post Juno’s Microwave Vision Peers beneath Surface of Jupiter’s Volcanic Moon Io appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Science News.
Planetary researchers have found the first evidence that bursts of energetic particles from the Sun could warm the lower atmosphere of Mars during massive dust storms, hinting at an unexpected link between space weather and Martian climate.
The post Space Weather May Warp Martian Weather during Dust Storms, Planetary Scientists Suggest appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Science News.
Sleep tracking on Apple Watch can make an invisible part of daily health easier to understand. Each morning, the watch may show sleep duration, stages, interruptions, overnight vitals and a score intended to summarize the night.
That information can be useful. It can also create a new habit of judging the entire day before getting out of bed.
One low score may make a person feel tired before noticing how they actually feel. A few minutes less deep sleep can become a source of concern. Going to bed can even start to feel like a test that must be passed rather than a normal biological process.
Apple Watch sleep data works better as a long-term observation tool than as a nightly verdict. The goal is not to collect perfect scores. It is to notice repeatable patterns and make small changes when those patterns match real-life problems.
Apple Watch estimates sleep using movement and signals collected while it is worn overnight. Depending on the model and available features, the Health and Sleep apps can show total sleep time, awake periods and estimates for core, deep and REM sleep.
The watch may also collect sleeping heart rate, respiratory rate, wrist temperature and other overnight metrics. The Vitals app compares several of these measurements with the user’s established typical range.
A sleep score compresses parts of the night into one number or category. Apple’s score considers factors including sleep duration, consistency and time spent awake. That makes it convenient, but convenience should not be confused with a complete medical interpretation.
The watch cannot know whether a stressful conversation kept someone awake, whether a child interrupted the night or whether the wearer woke feeling unexpectedly refreshed after fewer hours. It estimates physiological and behavioral signals. The person still supplies the context.
One night can be distorted by almost anything: travel, alcohol, illness, noise, a late meal, room temperature or a loose watch band. Even the position of the arm can affect sensor collection.
A weekly or monthly view is more useful because it reduces the influence of isolated nights. Patterns begin to emerge around bedtime consistency, total duration and changes in overnight vitals.
Health > Search > Sleep > select the weekly, monthly or six-month view
Look first at sleep duration and timing. These measurements are generally easier to interpret than small changes in individual sleep stages.
A person who repeatedly sleeps less on work nights may have a scheduling issue. Someone whose sleep becomes more fragmented after late caffeine may have found a useful connection. A consistently irregular bedtime may explain more than whether deep sleep moved by 12 minutes on Tuesday.
The data becomes valuable when it supports an observation that can lead to a realistic adjustment.
Core, deep and REM sleep are presented as distinct colored sections, which can make them appear more precise than they are. Apple Watch estimates these stages from signals available at the wrist. A clinical sleep study uses additional equipment and is designed for medical evaluation.
That does not make the stage information worthless. It means small nightly differences should not be overinterpreted.
A person does not need to increase deep sleep manually or achieve a perfect proportion of REM sleep. Sleep architecture changes naturally across age, stress levels, exercise, illness and different parts of the night.
Use stage data to notice substantial or persistent changes, not to compete with yesterday’s chart. Spending 15 minutes less in one estimated stage is not automatically a health problem.
Before opening the Sleep app, notice how the morning feels.
Was waking difficult? Is concentration normal? Is there unusual daytime sleepiness? Does the body feel recovered after exercise? Was the night interrupted for an obvious reason?
This brief self-check prevents the score from defining the experience. Someone may feel fine after a lower-rated night, while another person may feel exhausted despite receiving a favorable score.
The most useful interpretation combines both sources: subjective experience and device data. When they repeatedly agree, the pattern deserves attention. When they conflict for one night, there may be no reason to react.
The Vitals app can show whether overnight measurements such as heart rate, respiratory rate, wrist temperature and sleep duration fall within a typical range. It becomes more useful after the watch has collected enough nights to establish a personal baseline.
An outlier may reflect alcohol, medication, elevation, intense training or the beginning of an illness. It may also be an ordinary variation or imperfect reading.
Several unusual metrics appearing together may provide more context than one isolated number. Even then, Apple Watch data should not be used to diagnose a condition independently.
Persistent symptoms, breathing concerns, extreme daytime sleepiness or major changes in sleep should be discussed with a qualified healthcare professional. Bring the trend data if it helps describe what has been happening, but do not let the watch replace an evaluation.
The healthiest use of sleep tracking is to connect the data with actions a person can actually control.
A consistent bedtime may improve the pattern. Charging the watch before the evening makes tracking more reliable. Reducing late caffeine, adjusting the bedroom temperature or moving an intense workout earlier may also produce noticeable changes.
Health > Search > Sleep > Full Schedule & Options > Add Schedule
A schedule can provide Wind Down reminders and help keep bedtime more regular. It should remain a helpful structure rather than a rigid obligation. Life will occasionally interrupt it.
Choose one adjustment and observe it for a week or two. Changing five habits after one poor night makes it difficult to identify what helped.
Some people become preoccupied with improving sleep data, repeatedly checking results or worrying that a low score guarantees a bad day. The anxiety can itself make falling asleep more difficult.
That is a sign to reduce exposure to the numbers.
Sleep tracking can be turned off temporarily, or the data can be reviewed only once per week. Another option is to avoid checking the score in the morning and examine trends at a neutral time later.
Watch app on iPhone > My Watch > Sleep
A break does not erase the knowledge already gained. A person who has learned that regular timing and less late caffeine improve sleep may no longer need a daily chart to confirm it.
The device should support rest, not supervise it.
A practical morning review can remain simple. Check whether the watch recorded the full night. Notice total duration. Consider whether the bedtime was typical. Look for any major change in overnight vitals, then move on.
There is rarely a need to analyze every stage, compare several apps or search for explanations after one ordinary variation.
Sleep tracking on Apple Watch is most useful when it reveals something that was difficult to see without data: a repeated shortfall in duration, an inconsistent schedule or a pattern linked to habits and recovery.
The score can summarize one night, but it cannot grade the person who slept through it. A healthier measure is whether the information helps create calmer nights, better days and fewer reasons to think about the watch after waking.
The post Sleep Tracking on Apple Watch Without Chasing Scores appeared first on AppleMagazine.
HD 80606b has one of the most extreme orbits of any known exoplanet and the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope just caught it getting flash-fried as it whipped past its star.
The post Webb Sees Jupiter-Size Exoplanet Being Roasted by Its Star appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Science News.
A tiny electronic sensor that can be swallowed like a pill may soon provide one of the most accurate ways to measure body temperature. Engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have developed a miniature device that continuously monitors temperature from inside the digestive tract, potentially helping doctors detect infections earlier and better manage […]
The post Swallowable ‘blueberry’ sensor could transform how we monitor body temperature appeared first on Knowridge Science Report.
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