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==Explanation==
 
==Explanation==
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{{incomplete|Created by a SOMETHING OBSCURED BY CLOUDS - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
  
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Following on from [[2914: Eclipse Coolness]], Randall makes another comic about the {{w|Solar eclipse of April 8, 2024|solar eclipse occurring on April 8, 2024}}.
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Following on from [[2914: Eclipse Coolness]], Randall is anticipating the solar eclipse that will be (hopefully) visible in the United States on the upcoming Monday.
  
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[[Cueball]] is checking the weather forecast. At the time that this comic was posted, much of the eclipse path was projected to be overcast, and Cueball expresses disappointment as someone wishing to watch the Moon slowly block out the Sun (and not the clouds obscuring both). The off-panel voice points out the mild irony that he wanted to see something block out the Sun, so the clouds technically fit his wish, leading Cueball to exclaim that he has a specific taste for things blocking the Sun.
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In that comic, he mostly deals with the issues of geography: that not having the foresight to actually be in a good location will make the eclipse less than spectacular. In this comic, he establishes the possible effects of the weather, which is a far more uncertain element in the lead up to the day (or even upon the day itself), regardless of how much careful planning one might have conducted in advance. At the time that this comic was posted, many of the weather forcasts predicted overcast skies. This is extremely dissapointing to anyone wishing to watch the moon slowly block out the sun.  
  
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The title-text references the 'alignment' of Sun, Moon ''and'' cloud (Nephele [νεφέλη] is Greek for cloud), describing it as rare, although this is not really as desirable as it might make it sound. Sun/Moon conjunctions are already quite rare, so that the balance against Sun/Moon/no-cloud probabilities isn't really so notable. In theory, it should equal being the difference between cloud and no-cloud on any average day for your chosen location. In practice, scholars such as {{w|Murphy's law|Edward A. Murphy}} and {{w|Finagle's law|Finagle}} would argue that conjunctions of the Sun, Moon, and clouds are considerably more likely than a Sun/Moon conjunction occurring on a sunny day.
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The off-panel voice points out that [[Cueball]] wanted to see somthing block out the sun, so this technecally fits his wish. However the goal is to see the Moon fully obscure the Sun, as seen from the Earth. What is ''not'' wanted is for a cloud to obscure (the Moon obscuring) the Sun. So there are web sites providing weather forecasts for locations where the eclipse will be visible, to help eclipse chasers plan the best place to view it.
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The title-text references the 'alignment' of Sun, Moon ''and'' cloud, describing it as rare, although this is not really as desirable as it might make it sound.
  
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Note, as of the posting of this comic the weather reports had consistently shown the Eclipse path in Northern Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, the points nearest to Randall's actual home in Cambridge, MA, to have the best potential viewing in the country with near 0% projected cloud cover. While this should in theory negate Randall's anxiety, the historical forecast called for a 75% chance of cloud cover and may have prompted Randall to make other plans like visiting friends or family in sunnier portions of the eclipse path like Texas. Randall may therefore be still faced with the choice of altering his eclipse viewing plans, even if the situation technically favors New England.
 
  
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"Nephelogical" appears to mean "related to clouds", but misspelled: https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/nephological
 
  
 
==Transcript==
 
==Transcript==
 
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
 
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
  
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:[Cueball sits on an office chair at a desk, typing at his laptop.]
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:[Cueball sits on an ergonomic office chair at a desk, typing at his computer.]
 
:Cueball: These eclipse weather forecasts are killing me.
 
:Cueball: These eclipse weather forecasts are killing me.
 
:Laptop: ''refresh''
 
:Laptop: ''refresh''
  
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:[Cueball remains at his desk. An off-panel voice from the left speaks.]
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:[Cueball remains at his desk. An off-panel voice speaks.]
 
:Off-panel voice: So you really want to see something block out the sun...
 
:Off-panel voice: So you really want to see something block out the sun...
  
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:[Cueball is still at his desk.]
 
 
:Off-panel voice: ...But not a cloud. It has to be the Moon specifically.
 
:Off-panel voice: ...But not a cloud. It has to be the Moon specifically.
 
:Cueball: '''''My tastes are very singular!'''''
 
:Cueball: '''''My tastes are very singular!'''''
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{{comic discussion}}
 
{{comic discussion}}
  
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[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
 
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[[Category:Weather]]
 
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[[Category:Astronomy]]
 
 
[[Category:Solar eclipses]]
 
[[Category:Solar eclipses]]

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