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The American Earth-observation company Vantor maps Earth from space in 3D. The images are available in near-real time, revealing immediate effects of natural disasters and armed conflict. What is more, the images are also absolutely stunning.

Vantor , which operates a fleet of 10 satellites that image the surface of the planet with a resolution of 12 inches (30 centimetres), released the first set of its 3D shots from space on July 1. The images capture a variety of targets, all in amazing detail.

For example, there are shots of iconic landmarks in Paris; the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe and the modernist quarter La Défense emerge in the images as if seen from a landing plane. Other image sets track the progress of ship-building activity at China's Yulin Naval Base and decreasing water levels at Arizona's Hoover Dam.

The Eiffel Tower, captured by a satellite operated by the Earth-observation company Vantor. (Image credit: Vantor) the standard resolution of 20 inches (50 cm) with an accuracy of 13 feet (4 meters) in all directions, and the HD version with a 6-inch (15 cm) resolution and a 10-foot (3 m) accuracy in all dimensions.

The 3D views are created by combining multiple satellite images taken from different angles and are updated every 24 hours or less to track even the most rapidly occurring changes in the landscape. The images form a basis for 3D maps that could, for example, help autonomous drones navigate in areas hit by GPS jamming .

The satellite fleet's ability to rapidly update the imagery is a unique feature that was impossible to achieve by other 3D mapping technologies. Most commonly, mapmakers and organizations would have to conduct costly imaging campaigns from aboard aircraft or using remotely controlled drones. Neither of these approaches, however, allows such regular and frequent revisits, according to Vantor. On top of that, drones and planes may not be able to safely access and map areas controlled by unfriendly nations.

The Arc de Triomphe in Paris, captured by a satellite operated by the Earth-observation company Vantor. (Image credit: Vantor) "From command and control to autonomous systems operating in GPS-denied environments, many of today's most complex missions require current, accurate 3D terrain," Peter Wilczynski, chief product officer at Vantor, said in a statement .

"With WorldView 3D, customers can update the specific areas they care about, including remote and contested areas where traditional aircraft collection is limited, with unmatched speed and scale," Wilczynski added. "This is the future of spatial intelligence."

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It feels like the PC gaming hardware scene just keeps getting weirder. I mean, I'm not exactly sure why a brand like ASRock would show off a bunch of Taichi 10th Anniversary components, including an RX 9070 XT graphics card, only to reveal that it's not planning on releasing them. What?

Don't get me wrong, I get the idea of making conceptual designs to celebrate events. However, revealing an ASRock Taichi 10th Anniversary line-up of gaming PC components that look like perfectly reasonable designs that aren't remotely unmakeable, only to then say that they are just "concept products created to celebrate the milestone," is frankly bananas.

The message suggests that the Taichi 10th Anniversary RX 9070 XT that showed up at Computex just a few weeks ago is the only version that will ever exist (via Videocardz ). I don't know about you, but that feels a bit like being invited to a birthday party that was never happening in the first place, and I'm trying to work out why you'd unveil deliberate vapourware.

ASRock ASRock ASRock ASRock ASRock Just so you're aware of what you can't pick up, the Taichi 10th Anniversary lineup included the aforementioned graphics card , two motherboards, an AIO cooler with some sort of hologram display on the front, and a gaming monitor. Not that it matters, as none of the products exist, and I guess they're meant to be a "look at all the cool stuff we could maybe make" statement to honor the sub-brand that started in 2016.

Will ASRock eventually release the Taichi 10th Anniversary products made to celebrate the event? I mean, who knows. Perhaps there was supposed to be a launch, and it was cancelled at some point, or maybe people like looking at PC gear that will never exist? I'd understand if the designs were CES-level wild, but the components would pass for ordinary SKUs on the street (excluding that hologram AIO cooler; I'm not exactly sure how that'd work in hindsight.

If you're looking for components that actually exist, swing by the best CPUs for gaming and best RAM to upgrade your rig.

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A secretive Chinese spacecraft has captured the first-ever close-up photo of one of Earth's temporary "quasi-moons" after arriving there for a potential first-of-its-kind landing.

The space probe is supposed to scoop up samples from the newly imaged space rock and return them to Earth next year. However, the blurry photo and the timing of its release hint that this may be trickier than initially thought.

The Chinese National Space Administration (CNSA) probe, named Tianwen-2, launched from Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southern China on May 28, 2025, according to Live Science's sister site Space.com . Its primary target is Kamo'oalewa , also known as 2016 HO3, a fast-spinning asteroid that is classified as a quasi-satellite of Earth . That means it circles the sun alongside our planet, making it appear as if it were gravitationally bound to Earth when, in fact, it isn't. (This is only a temporary association; Kamo'oalewa will eventually fall out of sync with Earth and drift away from us.)

The CNSA has released minimal information about the parameters and timeline of the Tianwen-2 mission and only shared the first photo of the spacecraft several weeks after its launch. Based on one unverified timeline , Live Science previously reported that the probe had most likely arrived at Kamo'oalewa on June 7. However, Chinese officials have remained tight-lipped about the probe's progress.

But on Monday (July 6), the CNSA finally confirmed that, after a roughly 400-day-long journey spanning more than 600,000 miles (1 million kilometers), Tianwen-2 is now circling Kamo'oalewa, according to the state-run news outlet Xinhua . The agency also revealed that the probe first inserted itself into the asteroid's orbit on June 7, as originally predicted.

This photo of one of Tianwen-2's decagonal solar panels, captured in orbit, was the first image of the probe released by the CNSA. (Image credit: CNSA) The announcement was accompanied by the first clear photograph of Kamo'oalewa, captured at a distance of around 12.5 miles (20 km) from the quasi-moon. The blurry image suggests the space rock is around 130 feet (40 meters) across, according to the South China Morning Post , which is on the lower end of previous estimates that suggested the asteroid was up to 330 feet (100 m) wide.

Initial readings also suggest that Kamo'oalewa is a rubble-pile asteroid, which means it is loosely bound together and has an unstable surface. Until now, researchers were unsure of the asteroid's composition and hoped it had a solid, rocky surface, which would have allowed the spacecraft to attempt a first-of-its-kind landing using an "anchor and drill" technique. (It now seems unlikely that this sampling method will be used.)

The asteroid's small size, fragile composition and fast spin will make it harder for the probe to collect samples from the space rock's surface, even with other tried-and-true techniques. The new image also hints that there are few flat spots on the space rock where the probe could land safely.

"This greatly increases the complexity of the sampling process and the risk of the mission, making it much more difficult," CNSA representatives wrote in a report, according to the South China Morning Post.

Tianwen-2 launched into space May 28, 2025 on board one of China's Long March 3B rockets. (Image credit: VCG/VCG via Getty Images) The unverified mission timeline, which correctly predicted the probe's arrival date, stated that the sampling attempt would commence July 4. However, the fact that this has seemingly not happened yet further suggests that Chinese scientists are struggling to figure out how to collect their desired samples.

CNSA officials wrote that the probe "will progressively conduct more detailed scientific exploration to acquire data on the asteroid's morphology, material composition and internal structure, laying the groundwork for subsequent sample collection operations."

If Tianwen-2 does manage to snag some samples, the probe will release them in a capsule during a flyby of Earth in November 2027, and they will reenter the atmosphere at around 27,000 mph (43,500 km/h). This would make China the third country to successfully collect and return asteroid samples to Earth, following Japan, which returned samples from the asteroid Ryugu in 2020, and the U.S., which acquired material from the space rock Bennu in 2023.

Kamo'oalewa (a.k.a. 2016 HO3) circles Earth but does not orbit our planet. This simulation shows its predicted movements relative to Earth over the next few centuries. (Image credit: NASA/Pheonix7777/Wikimedia) Researchers hope the returned samples will help unravel the secrets of the early solar system and potentially shed light on how key compounds, such as organic molecules and water, ended up on Earth. They may also shed light on the seven other quasi-moons that are currently known to co-orbit the sun with our planet.

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Some experts previously theorized that Kamo'oalewa may be a fragment of the moon that was knocked loose from our permanent companion by an ancient meteor strike. Others have even attempted to pinpoint which crater the asteroid may have come from and hope that the samples will help confirm their hypothesis.

"I am curious to find out the answer about its origin, since the debate on its [potential] lunar origin is still very open," Marco Fenucci , a mathematician at the European Space Agency's Near-Earth Object Coordination Centre who has co-authored multiple studies on Kamo'oalewa, previously told Live Science. Any returned samples should "definitely give us an answer to this matter," he added.

After its close approach to Earth next year, Tianwen-2 will slingshot farther into the solar system to begin its secondary mission to study 311P/PanSTARRS — a peculiar object beyond Mars that displays characteristics of both comets and asteroids — in 2035.

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People continue to build alternative Sonos apps with features Sonos hasn't offered

Recent creations include customizable room correction that works with front surrounds

Most aren't widely available, and are being shown in invite-only betas

In the last few months, Sonos has finally moved on from fixing its app's tech issues to improving it with new navigation and adding some useful new techy features, such as a key new network troubleshooting option .

But many Sonos users are just tired of waiting for long-requested features — such as the ability to add front surround speakers — so they're building their own alternatives instead.

We covered some user-created apps to improve the Sonos ecosystem not too long ago, and the list of available options continues to grow.

More Sonos apps than you can shake a soundbar at

First up there's "the app Sonos should have made" according to its creator: Somos InControl . It's an iOS remote for Sonos home theater products with custom EQ, saveable sound presets, surround height levels and music features too.

The big draws here are that it supports adding front left and right surround speakers, and the ability to save EQ options for different use cases — the example screen shot has slightly tweaked sound for 5.1 surround versus Dolby Atmos versus music listening that you instantly switch between. It's an Apple TestFlight work in progress so availability is limited, but it looks very impressive.

The app Sonos should have made. Try it for free. from r/sonos

Moosic is a self-hosted music server app that offers an alternative to Trueplay's room tuning, with the always-welcome ability to display charts of the room correction, plus more customization options for the tuning.

It also enables you to switch your Sonos configuration — such as switching a pair of Era 300s from working as rear speakers to working as stereo music speakers — but to keep separate room-tuning profiles for each configuration, which again is something Trueplay doesn't offer.

If you're wondering why not just use TruePlay, creator AffectionateFox5907 explains : "Sonos does not provide a way to switch between home theatre and music setup seamlessly. My app does, but as part of that I lose Trueplay. When you unbond and rebond a speaker, each time it will lose its Trueplay configuration. My app basically builds a better Sonos app that adds features I've been wanting for a while without having to have a bunch of different apps. This now works with multiple subs and should work with fronts added as well."

One of the big downsides of using third-party apps that add front surrounds is that it disables Trueplay, so this is a win for people coloring outside the usual Sonos surround lines.

It also looks ideal for anyone who's found using their home theater for music to be a bit of a pain, and there are plenty of people who do: there's a whole Reddit thread asking for a simple switch between movie mode and music mode without having to reconfigure your system every time you do it.

I built my own version of "Trueplay" from r/sonos

Last but not least, MajorAtmosphere has created Kyuu (pronounced "queue"), an iOS Sonos controller that enables you to use UPnP for local files, which the Sonos app doesn't support.

As they explain: "Kyuu runs a lightweight local server that handles speaker discovery via SSDP, polls playback state, and sends commands directly to your speakers. The iOS app talks to that server over your LAN — no cloud, no Sonos account, no external dependencies."

I built a local-first Sonos controller iOS app using the UPnP API — no account required [Beta] from r/sonos