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3083: Jupiter Core

2025-08-05T01:35:57Z

2601:646:9D00:4BB8:39C8:4F9D:F1C0:978F: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 3083
| date = April 30, 2025
| title = Jupiter Core
| image = jupiter_core_2x.png
| imagesize = 581x443px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Juno mission data suggests that Jupiter actually contains Matryoshka doll-style nested copies of every other planet in the Solar System.
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Jupiter}} is the largest planet in the {{w|Solar System}}, the fifth planet from the Sun, and the closest-in {{w|gas giant}}. The core of the planet is hidden by an enormous gaseous atmosphere, and this comic lists a number of theories about the structure of that core. The first two are theories that are or have been held by reputable planetary scientists (they can be found in the Wikipedia entry), while the rest are ridiculous ideas from [[Randall]]'s mind.

; Diffuse mix of heavy elements and metallic hydrogen

: This is the current leading theory suggested by measurements taken by NASA's {{w|Juno (spacecraft)|Juno}} probe, a spacecraft orbiting Jupiter since 2016.

; Rocky core with metallic hydrogen mantle

: This was one of the leading proposals prior to the Juno mission.

; Valuable treasure

: Unidentifiable objects that may be gemstones or precious metals, surrounded by dollar signs. May be a reference to the occasionally proposed idea that gas giant cores might be composed of diamond. This idea was mentioned in Arthur C. Clarke's ''{{w|2010: Odyssey Two}}'', and in ''{{w|2061: Odyssey Three}}'' the diamond is found as it was ejected from Jupiter at the end of 2010.

; Emergency backup Earth

: This would be a copy of the Earth that can be put into place once we finish destroying our planet. In popular science Jupiter is often described as a "protector" of Earth since its large gravitational field attracts asteroids that could otherwise hit Earth. This theory extends this take to the point where Jupiter contains a backup planet in case it fails in its mission of protecting the Earth. Jupiter's diameter is about {{w|Jupiter|11 times that of Earth}}, so the backup shown is much too large. "Emergency Backup Earth" was previously proposed as an [[1253: Exoplanet Names|exoplanet name]], and was used later for a [[1555: Exoplanet Names 2|different exoplanet]].

; Regular planet pretending to be a gas giant to avoid attention

: The joke here is that there is secretly a 'regular' planet (whatever that means — presumably relatively Earth-like) which is shy or secretive and does not want attention, so it pretends to be a gas giant by hiding inside Jupiter. Of course, planets are not shy in real life, as they do not have feelings.{{cn}} The planet inside Jupiter appears to be Earth-like, and most likely has reasonably advanced life on it, since the large support structures and large surrounding structure itself must presumably have been built by somebody. They're probably quite annoyed at us, considering we've [[1727: Number of Computers|dropped several probes into Jupiter]].

: This might be a reference to [[wikia:w:c:starwars:At Attin|At Attin]], a fictional planet in the {{w|Star Wars}} Cinematic Universe. At Attin is a planet that has an artificially-created protective barrier designed to hide it from discovery, so as to conceal its production of [[wikia:w:c:starwars:At Attin Mint|Republic credits]]. The [[wikia:w:c:starwars:Barrier|barrier]] makes the much smaller planet within look like a gas giant and has artificial electrical storms, produced by electrical mines, that destroy any unauthorized ships from approaching the inner planet. At Attin appears in the Star Wars show {{w|Star Wars: Skeleton Crew|Skeleton Crew}} which was released only a few months prior to this comic.

; Hard ball from avocado

: This theory proposes that Jupiter's core is a giant avocado pit, which is the large seed located in the center of an avocado. The outer layers of Jupiter also appear to be the flesh and skin of an avocado in the drawing, thereby creating a very, very large avocado. If the total mass of Jupiter ([https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/factsheet/jupiterfact.html 1.898×1027 kg]) were converted to avocados, as seen in the image, Jupiter would represent 1.81×1018 times Earth's global avocado production in 2023, of approximately [https://www.statista.com/statistics/577455/world-avocado-production 10.5×109 kg].

; Baby Jupiter, still gestating

: This theory proposes that Jupiter is a life form which reproduces by carrying a baby version of itself as its core. While this is obviously not the case, it could provide large hints as to how the solar system originated if true. This also prompts questions as to Jupiter's sex, whether it {{w|Asexual reproduction|reproduces asexually}} and, if not, who the other parent is. Recursion also has interesting effects here, as the small Jupiter must also have a core — it's unclear whether this would contain an even tinier Jupiter, and so on.

:The "theories" of {{w|Immanuel Velikovsky}} propose that Venus came into existence as a cometary body somehow ejected from Jupiter. This body supposedly spent some time bouncing around the solar system by a mechanism similar to quantum mechanics, producing effects described in the Bible, before settling down into its current orbit. (None of this is consistent with our understanding of physics.) The Baby Jupiter shown in the comic might be "born" in a similar manner.

:This is also reminiscent of the {{w|Doctor Who}} episode ''{{w|Kill the Moon}}'', in which it transpires that Earth's Moon is in fact a giant egg, and eventually hatches a space creature which, before flying away, lays a replacement egg/Moon in its place.

; No core; flat Earth conspiracists are wrong about Earth but right about Jupiter

: {{w|Modern flat Earth beliefs|Flat Earth}} is a debunked conspiracy theory that the Earth is not actually spherical, but flat, with some believing that world leaders are actively trying to hide this fact from the general public. This version of Jupiter proposes that while Earth may not be flat, Jupiter is, thereby not having a core at all.
: While we see the Flat Jupiter from an angle in this depiction, clearly for it to ''look'' spherical from Earth the disc of Jupiter (with 'fake phases' and even carefully adjusted shadows from the Jovian moons) must more or less face the Earth for most of the time. It is not known what arrangements were made to get the illusion past those images supposedly sent back from the various spacecraft that were passing by, or actually orbiting, Jupiter. However, this is easily debunked by many expeditions to Jupiter and pictures from different angles,

; {{w|Matryoshka doll}} (title text)

: Since Jupiter is by far the largest planet of the solar system (and in fact larger by both mass and volume than all other Solar System planets combined), it could hypothetically contain all other planets nested inside one another. The order from largest to smallest would be {{w|Jupiter}}, {{w|Saturn}}, {{w|Uranus}}, {{w|Neptune}}, {{w|Earth}}, {{w|Venus}}, {{w|Mars}}, and {{w|Mercury (planet)|Mercury}}. {{w|Pluto}} could be included too, {{w|IAU definition of planet|if you are so inclined}}.

==Transcript==

:Current leading theories for what's in the center of Jupiter:

:[Variations of Jupiter. All except for the last are illustrated with a quartered 'solid segment' of the planet's 'atmosphere' removed to reveal the core.]

:[Jupiter with liquid material at its core]
:Diffuse mix of heavy elements and metallic hydrogen

:[Jupiter with a rocky core]
:Rocky core with metallic, hydrogen mantle

:[Jupiter with a pile of coins for a core, multiple dollar signs being shown]
:Valuable treasure

:[Jupiter with Earth for a core]
:Emergency backup Earth

:[Hollow Jupiter with a rocky planet in the middle, the outer layer held in place by inner supports]
:Regular planet pretending to be a gas giant to avoid attention

:[Jupiter with a smooth ball for a core]
:Hard ball from avocado

:[Jupiter with a small version of Jupiter for a core]
:Baby Jupiter, still gestating

:[Jupiter as a flat circle, with nothing chopped off]
:No core; flat Earth conspiracists are wrong about Earth but right about Jupiter

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

[[Category:Astronomy]]
[[Category:Food]]
[[Category:Conspiracy theory]]

3124: Grounded

2025-08-04T23:08:20Z

2601:646:9D00:4BB8:39C8:4F9D:F1C0:978F:

{{comic
| number = 3124
| date = August 4, 2025
| title = Grounded
| image = grounded_2x.png
| imagesize = 294x335px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = We should have you at the gate in just under two hours--two and a half if we get pulled over.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created recently by a COP ASKING IF THE PILOT KNOWS WHY THEY WERE PULLED OVER. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

This comic depicts a plane that has been delayed due to unfavorable weather. The pilot and first officer have considered simply driving the plane to the destination instead of waiting for favorable weather to fly, noting that they have considered their maximum taxiing speed and bridge clearance heights. Driving a plane on the public highway is probably illegal, under transportation and vehicle registration laws, plus impractical due to the excessive width and height (and maybe length) of the vehicle and the {{w|Jet (fluid)|backwash from the engines}}, and because jetliners taxi at only 25-35 mph — far slower than simply taking a car or bus — and rolling at nearer to {{w|Rotation (aeronautics)|rotation}} speed for prolonged periods would be mechanically problematic, especially on non-straight roads.

The title text further extends the joke, saying that driving will probably get them pulled over by police and further extend the drive time. However, the drive would probably be extended by more than 30 minutes, and the plane would most likely be stopped, resulting in the drive/flight being curtailed.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
:[A plane is at an airport gate, connected to the jet bridge. There are other ground vehicles nearby and another gate with a jet bridge extending from it.]
:Voice from the plane: This is your captain speaking. As you've probably noticed, we're still grounded due to weather
:Voice from the plane: But the first officer and I have been looking at bridge clearance maps and our top taxiing speed, And we have an idea.

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>
[[Category:Aviation]]

3124: Grounded

2025-08-04T21:21:03Z

2601:646:9D00:4BB8:39C8:4F9D:F1C0:978F:

{{comic
| number = 3124
| date = August 4, 2025
| title = Grounded
| image = grounded_2x.png
| imagesize = 294x335px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = We should have you at the gate in just under two hours--two and a half if we get pulled over.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created recently by a COP ASKING IF THE PILOT KNOWS WHY THEY WERE PULLED OVER. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

This comic depicts a plane that has been delayed due to unfavourable weather. The pilot and first officer have considered simply driving to the destination instead of waiting for favorable weather to fly, noting that they have considered their max taxing speed and bridge clearance heights. Driving a plane is impractical and illegal due to the size of the vehicle. The title text further extends the joke, it says that driving might get them pulled over, and further extend the drive. However, the drive will probably not be extended by only 30 minutes, and the plane probably will be catched and stop the plane, which will result in the drive/flight being cancelled.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
[Plane connected to airport in picture]
This is your captain speaking. As you've probably noticed, we're still grounded due to weather
but the first officer and I have been looking at bridge clearance maps and our top taxing speed, And we have an idea.
[Voice is coming from the plane]

[Title text]
We should have you at the gate in just under two hours--two and a half if we get pulled over.
{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

3124: Grounded

2025-08-04T21:20:15Z

2601:646:9D00:4BB8:39C8:4F9D:F1C0:978F: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 3124
| date = August 4, 2025
| title = Grounded
| image = grounded_2x.png
| imagesize = 294x335px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = We should have you at the gate in just under two hours--two and a half if we get pulled over.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created recently by a COP ASKING IF THE PILOT KNOWS WHY THEY WERE PULLED OVER. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

This comic depicts a plane that has been delayed due to unfavourable weather. The pilot and first officer have considered simply driving to the destination instead of waiting for favorable weather to fly, noting that they have considered their max taxing speed and bridge clearance heights. Driving a plane is impractical and illegal due to the size of the vehicle. The title text further extends the joke, it says that driving might get them pulled over, and further extend the drive. However, the drive will probably not be extended by only 30 minutes, and the plane probably will be catched and stop the plane.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
[Plane connected to airport in picture]
This is your captain speaking. As you've probably noticed, we're still grounded due to weather
but the first officer and I have been looking at bridge clearance maps and our top taxing speed, And we have an idea.
[Voice is coming from the plane]

[Title text]
We should have you at the gate in just under two hours--two and a half if we get pulled over.
{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

Talk:3124: Grounded

2025-08-04T21:11:11Z

2601:646:9D00:4BB8:39C8:4F9D:F1C0:978F:

I don't get the joke at all
The idea is to simply drive the plane on the ground to the destination.
Ok, should we mention this is because they mention the taxing speed

3124: Grounded

2025-08-04T21:07:28Z

2601:646:9D00:4BB8:39C8:4F9D:F1C0:978F: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 3124
| date = August 4, 2025
| title = Grounded
| image = grounded_2x.png
| imagesize = 294x335px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = We should have you at the gate in just under two hours--two and a half if we get pulled over.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created recently by a COP ASKING IF THE PILOT KNOWS WHY THEY WERE PULLED OVER. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

This comic depicts a plane that has been delayed due to unfavourable weather. The pilot and first officer have considered simply driving to the destination instead of waiting for favorable weather to fly, noting that they have considered their max taxing speed and bridge clearance heights. Driving a plane is impractical and illegal due to the size of the vehicle. The title text further extends this joke by saying that if they get pulled over by police, they will waste extra time, because the planes aren't street legal{{Citation needed}}. Note that the drive being pulled over probably won't take waste 30 minutes, probably a lot more.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
[Plane connected to airport in picture]
This is your captain speaking. As you've probably noticed, we're still grounded due to weather
but the first officer and I have been looking at bridge clearance maps and our top taxing speed, And we have an idea.
[Voice is coming from the plane]

[Title text]
We should have you at the gate in just under two hours--two and a half if we get pulled over.
{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

3124: Grounded

2025-08-04T21:06:10Z

2601:646:9D00:4BB8:39C8:4F9D:F1C0:978F:

{{comic
| number = 3124
| date = August 4, 2025
| title = Grounded
| image = grounded_2x.png
| imagesize = 294x335px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = We should have you at the gate in just under two hours--two and a half if we get pulled over.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created recently by a COP ASKING IF THE PILOT KNOWS WHY THEY WERE PULLED OVER. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

This comic depicts a plane that has been delayed due to unfavourable weather. The pilot and first officer have considered simply driving to the destination instead of waiting for favorable weather to fly, noting that they have considered their max taxing speed and bridge clearance heights. Driving a plane is impractical and illegal due to the size of the vehicle. The title text further extends this joke by saying that if they get pulled over by police, they will waste extra time, because the planes aren't street legal{{Citation needed}}.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
[Plane connected to airport in picture]
This is your captain speaking. As you've probably noticed, we're still grounded due to weather
but the first officer and I have been looking at bridge clearance maps and our top taxing speed, And we have an idea.
[Voice is coming from the plane]

[Title text]
We should have you at the gate in just under two hours--two and a half if we get pulled over.
{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

3124: Grounded

2025-08-04T20:54:40Z

2601:646:9D00:4BB8:39C8:4F9D:F1C0:978F: transcript

3124: Grounded

2025-08-04T20:54:11Z

2601:646:9D00:4BB8:39C8:4F9D:F1C0:978F: /* Transcript */

Talk:3124: Grounded

2025-08-04T20:49:41Z

2601:646:9D00:4BB8:39C8:4F9D:F1C0:978F: I don't get the joke at all

I don't get the joke at all