In this week’s Sunday Reboot, Apple employs weird delay tactics for its Epic lawsuit filing. Meanwhile, Epic still doesn’t think Apple’s proposals go far enough.

Sunday Reboot is a weekly column covering some of the lighter stories within the Apple reality distortion field from the past seven days. All to get the next week underway with a good first step.

Playing courts for time

I have been covering the Apple-Epic lawsuit saga for about half of my tenure here at AppleInsider. It’s a source of news that, despite its regularity, doesn’t seem to be scraping the bottom of the barrel quite yet.

In the last week, there were a series of updates that are interesting, if not entirely groundbreaking. Specifically, delays, availability, and fees.

Let’s start with delays, because they can make a big impact in a legal case.

Back in May, Apple and Epic agreed on a pre-court schedule for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. It was a schedule set so that Apple and Epic could negotiate new commission rates for app transactions handled outside of the App Store, referred to as “linked-out purchases.”

At the time, it was outlined that Apple would have 45 days to file a “proffer,” namely a good-faith offer of evidence, testimony, and other elements to the court. This would propose commission rates for purchases, including why they were set at specific levels, in a neat 30-page document.

After that, Apple would hand Epic all non-privileged documents about the decision-making process and a privilege log, within ten days. Within five days of that, Apple and Epic would then meet up to discuss the privilege log, and to determine what documents would go under third-party review.

Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney

The schedule then continues with Epic filing its own response to Apple’s proffer, again in a 30-page document. That has a timeline of within 60 days of Apple’s proffer filing or Apple’s completion of document production, whichever happens last.

It’s still not over, as the schedule then has another 30-day period for Apple to respond to Epic’s response, with a 15-page limit. At that point, the court holds a status conference to determine what happens next.

The continuing game of litigious table tennis was supposed to hit that first 45-day proffer deadline this week, and it did. Except Apple asked for a stay on it on Tuesday, to delay things further.

The court decided Apple had more than enough time, so it gave the legal team just 24 hours to come up with something. On Wednesday, Apple then got another 24 hours approved.

Tim Sweeney, the CEO and founder of Epic Games, took the news in his stride. And by that, I mean gleefully taking to X.

He mused if Apple would honestly document the costs for human reviewer time in the proposal. Or if not, if Apple will “fabricate outlandish new notions of cost previously unknown to mankind.”

It seems that a second 24-hour period was enough for Apple to finally submit something on Thursday.

It is truly astounding that a major company like Apple and its well-paid legal team would ask for a long stay after a 45-day deadline for a 30 page document’s creation.

But at the same time, it seems weird that it would get what amounts to 48 hours of extra time to work on the project, and it managed to hand something in.

We don’t know why the delay was requested, nor what was stopping Apple from actually filing the proffer on time. But it has the feel of an attempt to deliberately push back as some sort of high-level legal strategy.

Courtroom-based foot-dragging, if you will.

At least, that would be the better way of viewing it. At worst, it could’ve been someone procrastinating on the 30-page book report about the most niche topic imaginable, and then rushed to put it together at the last minute.

Has anyone told a court “the dog ate their filing” before?

Fee cuts, but they’re never enough

The actual point of the filing is for Apple to detail its proposed external commission rates. The original proposal of 27% versus the 30% App Store commission was no bueno, and Apple had to do more.

The new proposal is much better for developers, in that the percentages are far lower:

• 15% for standard apps that would face the usual 30% App Store fee
• 10% for subscription renewals as well as the Video Partner Program, the News Partner Program, and the Mini Apps Partner Program
• 5% for Small Business Program apps

So, on the good side, those fees are lower so developers should earn a tiny bit more revenue. On the bad side, at least to Epic, those fees are still too high.

In an X post, Epic’s Newsroom feed said that even these concessions are “far outside the bounds of the Ninth Circuit’s guidance on permissible fees.”

An image from an Epic Games video mocking Apple’s 1984 ad – Image Credit: Epic Games

It’s good that Epic still has an opinion, but it doesn’t say how much those fees should be just yet. I get the feeling that the closer to 0%, the better, when it comes to Epic’s preferred fee level.

Alas, we won’t know exactly how much until Epic files its reply. That’s going to take another 60 days at most.

Unless there are more attempts to delay filings in the court.

There’s no chance of that happening. Surely

Last week’s Sunday Reboot talked about OpenAI’s hardware leak and an astoundingly cheap “Ted Lasso” promotion.

The short answer is probably not, but it depends on how you use your device.

Modern Android protects your device from threats automatically

Eza_Nanda/Shutterstock

The biggest mobile risks are ones that an antivirus can’t protect you from

Peace-loving/Shutterstock

Where a third-party Android antivirus might occasionally make sense

Maor_Winetrob/Shutterstock

Is an Android antivirus really necessary?

Karlis Dambrans/Shutterstock

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle has a real mix of topics, and might be a tough one. If you’re struggling with the puzzle but still want to solve it, read on for hints and the answers.

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Yellow group hint: Flip it!

Green group hint: Git ‘er done.

Blue group hint: Gimme the ball!

Purple group hint: The Silver and Black.

Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Yellow group: Words heard during a coin toss.

Green group: Determined.

Blue group: ____ pass, in basketball.

Purple group: Raiders in the Hall of Fame.

What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is words heard during a coin toss.

The four answers are defer, heads, receive and tails.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is determined.

The four answers are dogged, driven, intent and tenacious.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is ____ pass, in basketball.

The four answers are bounce, chest, outlet and pocket.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is Raiders in the Hall of Fame.

The four answers are Branch, Casper, Guy and Shell.

CNET editor Gael Fashingbauer Cooper, a journalist and pop-culture junkie, is co-author of “Whatever Happened to Pudding Pops? The Lost Toys, Tastes and Trends of the ’70s and ’80s,” as well as “The Totally Sweet ’90s.” She’s been a journalist since 1989, working at Mpls.St.Paul Magazine, Twin Cities Sidewalk, the Minneapolis Star Tribune, and NBC News Digital. She’s Gen X in birthdate, word and deed. If Marathon candy bars ever come back, she’ll be first in line.

See full bio

• DARPA wants hypersonic missiles capable of surviving increasingly sophisticated enemy air defenses
• The new program seeks major gains in range, speed, and survivability
• Russia’s Zircon gives Washington an existing hypersonic cruise missile benchmark

The Pentagon is pursuing a new hypersonic cruise missile concept designed to survive increasingly capable enemy air defense networks.

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Next Generation Hypersonic Cruise Missile (NGHCM) program wants contractors to design a hypersonic scramjet cruise missile capable of evading enemy interceptors.

software

Connecting a single power cord turned into a lucrative all-nighter

ON CALL “I can’t stand it, I know you planned it, I’m gonna set it straight, this Watergate” is the opening of the Beastie Boys classic Sabotage, a fact we mention as it will soon become pertinent to today’s edition of On Call, The Register’s weekly reader-contributed column that shares your tech support stories.

This week, meet a reader we’ll Regomize as “Wade” who in the mid-1980s made a crust by programming in Pick – the minicomputer OS entangled with a database that On Call wrote about last year.

Wade told us that he used Pick to write the software that powered a mail order business, before moving on to greener pastures.

Several years later, in early 1990, Wade’s mail order boss called him at home in the evening.

“He had fired the clerk who did all the work in application I wrote,” Wade explained to On Call. “They entered orders, sent purchase orders out and arranged customer dispatches.”

It sounds like the clerk and the mail order company parted ways on bad terms, as this was a “You have an hour to pack up your stuff and leave” affair.

“That was unwise,” Wade wrote. “The clerk used that time to sabotage the system … or so she thought, by unplugging it while it was printing the day’s orders.”

When the mail order magnate realized the machine was down, he panicked and called Wade – who despite being rather surprised by the summons showed up and realized the first thing to do was plug the Pick machine into a power socket.

“I spent a couple of hours booting it up, checking all the data and restarting the print run.”

Wade told On Call his old boss was more than happy.

“The loss of a night’s sleep was recompensed by the fee I charged,” he wrote.

Has someone you’ve forgotten asked you to rescue their tech? If so, click here to send your story to On Call. We promise not to sabotage it if we give it a run on a future Friday. Or as the Beasties put it: “But you, I’m out and I’m gone. I’ll tell you now, I keep it on and on.” ®

Usually, the name ‘Famicom’ and the associated Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) don’t exactly bring to mind downloadable content and online services. However, at least in Japan, a modem add-on for the Famicom offered those features. Released in 1988, the Family Computer Network System (FCNS) offered all that using its modem to dial into Nintendo’s servers. Recently, [Throaty Mumbo] got his mitts on one of these units to try and see what you can still do with it in 2026.

Although only mildly successful in the Japanese market, Nintendo still sold 130,000 of these modem add-ons, with tens of thousands of users for the stock brokering, banking, and Super Mario Club services offered. The experiences with the FCNS would form the foundation for Nintendo’s Satellaview for the Super Famicom and from there into today’s Nintendo Online offerings.

Of course, the main challenge with reviving the FCNS in 2026 is that the remote servers were turned off decades ago, along with the minor detail that to do anything with it you need to insert a special card. This was missing in the used version that [Throaty Mumbo] bought, but fortunately he got a workable Super Mario Club card. The next struggle? He doesn’t speak Japanese, so it took a while to eke out the details.

With a phone line simulator, it’s at least possible to try to have the FCNS try to dial, but that only throws another error. Ultimately it turned out that the FCNS uses NTT’s proprietary DDX-TP (in Japanese) protocol, which isn’t really documented outside of some Japanese sources. This is where the NES Dev site and its forum thread full of FCNS enthusiasts proved essential, as they had already done all the reverse-engineering.

NES Dev user [Ben Boldt], for example, made a DIY version of the FCNS access (tsuushin) card that lets you configure its details. For development, the PLCC-based CPLD was a bit of an annoyance, so the FCNS got somewhat modified along the way for more direct access.

After five months of work, he was finally able to connect the Famicom via the FCNS and a telephone line simulator for some Super Mario Club action. This connects to the SMC Server simulator on the PC, with the detailed manual that comes with the access card helping a lot.

After all this, the Super Mario Brothers game was graced with a game patch that allows for network-based SMB two-player action. This adds a ‘dial’ and ‘answer’ option so that the two Famicoms can connect and commence the two-player session. Although one can question the latency this would entail without a direct POTS connection as here, it is definitely a nifty demonstration of what ultimately would become the multiplayer gaming on Nintendo consoles today.

You can still do Famicom programming. There were even clones.

I ended up watching The Last House twice, just to confirm I hadn’t hallucinated its truly head-scratching plot. I regret to inform you that it’s just as bad the second time around, making it the biggest Netflix disappointment of the year.

It’s unfair to call The Last House the worst movie of the year, but it’s definitely not what I expected from the best streaming service, especially considering that Netflix had spent a lot of time promoting it, even creating a billboard featuring a live actor inside. The movie is being promoted everywhere, so it’s a shame that it has received largely negative reviews, including mine.

AI and ML

Developers report model thinking blocks being returned empty or truncated

Anthropic’s Claude Code appears to be having trouble displaying summaries of its “thinking,” according to several bug reports, while the underlying reasoning tokens still cost money. According to complaints, the API has been returning empty thinking blocks for Opus 4.8 and Sonnet 5 even when users explicitly request summarized thinking.

Models from several sources can display their “thinking,” a process that gives models additional tokens to reason through complex problems before producing a response. Software with this capability delivers a summary that explains how it tackled a task. Some can also indulge in “extended thinking,” though this capability is now deprecated.

Developers often enable “thinking” in the hope that it produces better results, at the cost of additional tokens and latency.

Developer Michael Hood has noticed that some of Anthropic’s models  are currently not always good at sharing their thinking.

“As of 2026-07-16 ~15:00Z, the API returns empty thinking blocks (thinking: ”, signature only) for Claude Opus 4.8 and Sonnet 5, even when display: ‘summarized’ is explicitly requested — including when injected directly into the raw request body,” Hood recently observed.

We’re told this issue is under investigation but doesn’t appear to be a broad, ongoing concern. It may simply be an artefact of tests that change how Anthripic displays summaries.

Similar behavior involving missing thinking blocks has been reported in Claude Code for VS Code.

Another bug report claims thinking block summaries are being truncated while token bills are not adjusted accordingly. “The thinking is generated (and billed) in full; a portion of the summary stream is silently dropped,” the anonymous author claims.

This particular claim, that customers are being billed for text not delivered, may follow from a misunderstanding of Anthropic’s terms: “You are charged for all thinking tokens generated, even when collapsed or redacted,” the company’s documentation explains. 

Under that legalese, a thinking summary costs the same as the full output. And it’s unclear whether bug-based truncation would change the billing picture.

“Thinking has a cost: the tokens Claude spends reasoning are billed as output tokens, even when the thinking text isn’t returned to you, and they count toward max_tokens alongside the response text,” the company explains. 

To reduce spending on thinking, customers are advised to lower their budget setting or disable thinking.

Separately, the Anthropic API has been seen terminating data streams during long-running thinking sessions. There have been at least seven other related API bug reports, but the streaming issue identified by developer Hector Bernstorff describes client-side defects.

The Register understands this particular issue has to do with tuning network behavior, specifically to terminate or retry long running requests. Work is ongoing to balance perceived latency against the risk of requests getting stuck.

“Claude Code ships updates nearly every day, and reports from the community like these GitHub issues are a big part of how we catch problems quickly,” an Anthropic spokesperson told The Register. “We’re grateful to the developers who take the time to file them, and we’ll keep fixing things as they come up.” ®

Compare Our Top Fountains

More Fountains We Tested

Photograph: Molly Higgins

Photograph: Molly Higgins

Bissell HydrateWell Automatic Water Fountain for $26: I tested this fountain and a brand-new automatic litter box (review forthcoming) from cleaning titan Bissell, whose handheld and cordless vacuums have been long-time favorites of the Reviews team. This fountain had Bissell’s signature sleek aesthetic, but there were several design features that reminded me that Bissell is still used to designing cleaning tools. The biggest problem is that it was designed like a vacuum, with the cord wrapped underneath the fountain, making it difficult to unspool, clean, or move without the water spilling from the top or the cord getting wet. The top basin parts were also a bit modular; I felt like it should’ve twisted into itself to connect, but it sort of haphazardly sat on top. There was also a taller spout addition (not pictured), but I took it off because water kept spraying outside the bowl. I also didn’t love the all-plastic design and the fact it needed to be plugged in at all times. It worked well throughout testing, but there are some design flaws (namely the bottom cord spool) that made moving and refilling a little needlessly difficult.

Photograph: Julia Forbes

Petlibro Capsule Dog Fountain for $45: Petlibro’s Capsule Dog Fountain is right at snout level for my small dogs, which I prefer for when they eat and drink to prevent choking. It holds 2.1 gallons of water in the large tank, and the water quietly flows via a whirlpool to the top tray. Plus, there’s a splash guard that keeps droplets from flying all over the place. It’s recommended that you replace the five-layer filter every two weeks, which can rack up the price. Be sure to stay on top of cleaning, as its BPA-free plastic body isn’t as impervious to bacteria as glass or stainless steel is, even with a filter in use. Despite not being as high-tech (there’s no app connectivity like some of our other tested options), it’s become a reliable tool for us. I can see this working well for parents of rambunctious dogs who don’t need high-tech functionality, just something consistent. —Julia Forbes

Photograph: Molly Higgins

Petlibro Stainless Steel Fountain for $40: There’s no connected app, and the pump isn’t wireless for this solid, all-stainless steel fountain that’s pretty pared down and basic. But the steel keeps water cold and clean, and the spout is easily adjustable to allow control of the flow based on your pet’s preferences. It uses three-layer filtration and has a generously sized reservoir. I wish there were a little window to easily see water levels from the outside, and wireless pumps are a lot more convenient. But this is a solid, whisper-quiet stainless steel fountain that has worked reliably. I love the adjustable spout, and my pets seem to prefer it over some other models I’ve tried.

Photograph: Molly Higgins

Petkit Eversweet 3 Pro for $70: Like many other styles we tested, this circular automatic fountain connects to power via USB and has an app to monitor water levels and remind you when it’s time to fill or change the filter. The top part also has a small reservoir that keeps 2 ounces of water in the tray at all times, ensuring your kitty always has access to water. Although the top is made of plastic, there’s a filter with three layers (replacements are $20), a pump with a foam filter, and a UV light to further sterilize water by killing potentially harmful bacteria. Like many of Petkit’s products, the app is lacking. When I went out of town, the app had trouble adjusting to the time change and didn’t send me a notification that water levels were low. When I got back home, the machine had stopped the water flow without alerting me via the app.

Photograph: Molly Higgins

Petlibro Capsule Fountain for $34: A solid, inexpensive choice, this fountain is made from BPA-free plastic and has a five-layer filtration system and stainless steel top reservoir. There’s a transparent water tank for easier monitoring, and it comes in a bunch of cute colors. The spout is tall and has a continuous flow, making it ideal for cats who love to drink from faucets. However, it’s not connected to an app, so you’ll have to monitor water levels and set manual reminders for filter replacement and cleaning. The plastic is also harder to clean, and it has a wired pump, which makes cleaning trickier (water and electricity are never an ideal combo). It works effectively but there are better options out there at this price point.

Photograph: Molly Higgins

Petkit Eversweet Max for $76: This techy automatic fountain is battery-powered (lasting up to 83 days on a charge), and the drinking bowl is made of stainless steel, but the reservoir is plastic. Because of the shape of the basin with the chunky battery and reservoir bowl, it’s a little awkward to clean. The app logs every time a pet drinks and compares it over time to determine whether your cat’s drinking habits have changed. The app also keeps track of when the filter needs replacing and when you last added water. However, it doesn’t monitor or show how much water is left in the basin; you have to check manually. The design also made it a bit difficult to clean and refill easily.

Photograph: Molly Higgins

Enabot Rola Smart Pet Water Fountain for $25: Cordless and running on a rechargeable battery that lasts up to 60 days (although it can stay plugged in, too), this fountain has a wireless pump that uses magnetic induction—one of the easiest and most hassle-free pumps to clean of all I tested. The fountain has a stainless steel top that holds a decent amount of water even when not running. However, the tank is plastic—I’m wary of plastic because of its propensity to harbor bacteria (plus it doesn’t keep water as cold). The app gives reminders of when the water’s low, the fountain needs cleaning, or the filter needs replacing, plus it automatically stops dispensing water and sends you a reminder to refill via its app. It also logs the number of times your pet drank and for how long, monitoring hydration patterns over time. A complaint I had is that this fountain wouldn’t stay on continuous stream mode, even when plugged in, instead automatically switching to the motion-sensing stream.

Homerunpet Wireless Pet Fountain for $60: This cordless fountain can be used as a traditional fountain plugged in on its base, or can be detached and moved around the house with 30 days of battery life. I don’t love that this fountain is all plastic, but it’s easy to see water levels from the outside, the top and filter layers are super easy to remove, clean, and replace, and the wireless (basically silent) pump makes it a whole lot easier to clean. Plastic doesn’t keep the water as cold or clean as stainless steel, so you’ll have to clean it a lot more often. The fountain only begins bubbling when a cat (or human) approaches to save battery power, and there’s no option to control the flow (and no connected app). I like the wireless pump, but I’m really over plastic at this point.

Photograph: Kat Merck

Wonder Creature Cat Fountain for $18: My two cats have cycled through several water fountains over the past few years, but this no-nonsense version has been a stalwart. The inside is lit by a blue LED (bright enough to glow in the dark), and a clear viewing window on the side makes it easy to monitor the water level from afar. I also like the dishwasher-safe metal bowl and the fact you can remove parts of the white-and-yellow flower to create a fountain configuration your cat likes (waterfall, low bubble-up, tall bubble-up). The only major downsides are the fact it requires very frequent cleaning and filter changes due to the plastic body, and that there is no reservoir to hold water in case of power outage or pump malfunction. When I went on vacation, I had to swap it out for an old-school gravity dispenser. —Kat Merck

Happy & Polly Gothic Cat Drinking Fountain for $66: If you prefer gothic decor to neutral blandness, this ghostly ceramic cat fountain from Happy & Polly may tempt you to bite. The water bubbles up out of the top of the ghost and pools on the ceramic top. It’s fairly quiet at around 35 decibels, but it gets loud when the water is running low, and I worry about the motor burning out, as the 1.5-liter capacity can run dry fast. While the ceramic finish is easy to clean, it is fiddly to take apart. You will want to clean it once a week to prevent it from becoming slimy, and you must change the filter once a month. —Simon Hill

Petkit Eversweet Solo 2 for $45: I love three key features of this fountain: The bowl sits on top of a wireless charging base, so you don’t have to fiddle with cables, it is super easy to clean, and it’s very quiet at around 25 decibels. A flashing light warns you when the water is running low, and you can check when the filter needs to be changed in the app. There’s an optional smart mode that pumps intermittently and a night mode to turn the light off. Pleasingly, all three of our cats drink from this fountain, though that does mean I have to refill it often, as it only holds 2 liters. —Simon Hill

Photograph: Simon Hill

Oneisall Stainless Steel Pet Fountain for $43: This drinking fountain is about as simple as they come. As it’s designed for cats or small dogs, it has a large bowl, but some cats will prefer that. I love the mostly stainless steel construction, as it’s easy to keep clean and less prone to dirt and bacteria buildup. You can even stick parts into the dishwasher. This fountain can hold up to 7 liters of water, so you don’t have to refill as often. It’s fairly quiet at around 35 decibels, but it gets louder when the water is running low (a red light warns you when it needs a refill). You should clean once a week and rinse the filter. The filter packs are relatively affordable, and you need to swap them once a month. —Simon Hill

Fountains We Don’t Recommend

Photograph: Molly Higgins

Petcube Ceramic Pet Water Fountain for $65: I really wanted to love this fountain; although its basin is plastic, it has a ceramic top, which is more hygienic than plastic (plus, I had never tested a ceramic model before), and the brand makes some of my favorite pet cameras. However, setup was a bit confusing; it took a long time to get the base charged to power the fountain’s water flow, and the sensor to start the water flow can only be triggered from one side, making placement awkward. After a few days, it would only run while plugged in. Soon, its stream was barely strong enough to reach the top, and after just over a week, it stopped working altogether. Also, it’s overly expensive for what it is.

Photograph: Molly Higgins

Cat Mate 3-Level Pet Fountain for $28: This tall automatic Cat Mate fountain sets itself apart with three tiers for cats who like to drink at every level. Cleaning the motor requires disassembly using tools and extended soaking. Because of the long distance the water has to travel, it evaporates quickly and needs to be refilled about every other day. Plastic also harbors bacteria, and previous plastic models I’ve owned have had mold issues. The basin is quite large and sits flat. Because of this, some debris lingers in the front rather than flowing to the filter system behind. The plastic material and lack of ergonomic gravity design caused this fountain to be dirtier than others.

Whisker City Free Fall Cat Fountain for $30: This huge fountain is better suited for dogs, with its 150-fluid-ounce bowl and waterfall design. Although the basin has a small splash pad to help offset the waterfall noise, this was one of the loudest fountains I tested. The evaporation from the waterfall-like system also caused me to refill it every other day. Because of the structure of the fountain, my cats had to bend their head at an awkward angle. They tended to avoid drinking from the basin because of that, and their heads got slightly wet from the splatter of the waterfall. The basin is also not angled, so crumbs and debris sit at the bottom of the bowl.

Photograph: Molly Higgins

Petkit EverSweet Solo SE for $25: This very simple, straightforward fountain has a square-shaped body, is translucent to easily see water levels from the outside, and has a nearly silent 25-decibel cordless pump to circulate water from the basin to the top level, where 2 ounces of water are always available for drinking, even in case of power failure. The basin sits on a base and all parts easily detach, making it easier to clean. This fountain doesn’t have multiple modes or an associated app—you’ll have to check water levels manually. I noticed this fountain didn’t keep water as cold as some of the others, and because of the design of the top, debris often pooled in the dipped areas, which required more frequent cleaning.

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The total solar eclipse on August 12 produced some of the most spectacular images of this phenomenon in recent years. But the mini golden age of eclipses in Europe is just beginning. The so-called “Iberian eclipse trio” still has two events to go—and both promise to be even more incredible than the one that just occurred.

The next eclipse will occur in 2027 and has been dubbed “the eclipse of the century” due to its extraordinarily long duration, while the last one—set for 2028—will offer a chance to glimpse the “ring of fire” associated with an annular eclipse. Whether you’re in Spain or planning to be there (or elsewhere in the path of totality), it’s not too early to create your viewing plan.

On August 2, 2027, one of the longest total solar eclipses of this century will occur. At its peak, the moon will completely cover the sun for 6 minutes and 23 seconds. To put that in perspective, the totality phase of the August 12 eclipse lasted approximately 2 minutes and 18 seconds. The 2027 eclipse will keep the sun hidden for nearly three times as long, making it the longest eclipse in 100 years.

A narrow band across the planet will be able to view the total eclipse. The path will begin in southern Spain and northern Africa, cross Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt, and then continue through Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and Somalia. Spain will be the only European country from which the total phase can be observed. (Well, technically, UK residents and visitors in the overseas territory of Gibraltar will also get a view.)

Egypt will see both the peak of the eclipse and the longest duration. The moon’s shadow will fall over ancient Thebes, home to the temples of Karnak and Luxor, and, on the other side of the Nile, the Valley of the Kings. The pyramids of Giza, further north, will lie just outside the path of totality and will experience a partial eclipse.

The third eclipse in the series will occur on January 26, 2028. This time, the moon will not completely cover the sun. Instead, it will leave a bright ring of fire visible around it. The path of annularity will cross South America, from Ecuador and Peru to Brazil, before crossing the Atlantic and ending in Portugal and Spain.

Brazil will offer the longest-lasting spectacle. There, the ring will remain visible for 10 minutes and 27 seconds—a duration that makes this event one of the longest annular eclipses of the century. Spain will experience a shorter but potentially very photogenic version. In cities such as Seville, Córdoba, Albacete, and Valencia, the ring of fire will last about seven minutes and will appear very close to the horizon, shortly before sunset.

This story originally appeared on WIRED en Español and has been translated from Spanish.