https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/api.php?action=feedcontributions&feedformat=atom&user=Iceexplain xkcd - User contributions [en]2026-04-06T12:02:30ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.30.0https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=3103:_Exoplanet_System&diff=3795913103: Exoplanet System2025-06-16T20:07:24Z<p>Ice: /* Explanation */ Began explanation</p>
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<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 3103<br />
| date = June 16, 2025<br />
| title = Exoplanet System<br />
| image = exoplanet_system_2x.png<br />
| imagesize = 623x447px<br />
| noexpand = true<br />
| titletext = Sure, this exoplanet we discovered may seem hostile to life, but our calculations suggest it's actually in the accretion disc's habitable zone.<br />
}}<br />
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==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|This page was created recently. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}<br />
This comic shows a 'typical' system of exoplanets. An exoplanet is a planet orbiting a star other than the Sun.<br />
<br />
{| class="wikitable"<br />
!Number from star<br />
!Text<br />
!Explanation<br />
|-<br />
|1<br />
|Giant planet orbiting so close that it's actually rolling on the star's surface<br />
|Giant planets are often gravitationally pulled close to their star. Here, the planet is literally touching the star, which, given both bodies gaseous makeup, should cause them to merge.<br />
|-<br />
|2<br />
|Hot Jupiter<br />
|As above, a giant planet orbiting close to its star.<br />
|-<br />
|3<br />
|Planet that may actually be in the habitable zone, according to a very optimistic modeling paper by some desperate postdocs<br />
|The habitable zone of a star is the range at which water is liquid. Notably, planets in the habitable zone are seen as options for colonization by humanity, which would mean greater funding for research. As such, researchers will go to great lengths to determine as many habitable planets as they can.<br />
|}<br />
<br />
The title text mentions a planet within an accretion disk, which means that the planet is in the orbit of a black hole and will inevitably fall in. Nevertheless, the researcher speaking assures that the planet is in the disk's habitable zone, implying it is a worthwhile option for colonization.<br />
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==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}<br />
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{{comic discussion}}<noinclude></div>Ice