explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

1555: Exoplanet Names 2

2015-07-24T05:19:51Z

Keavon: Added Firefly category

{{comic
| number = 1555
| date = July 24, 2015
| title = Exoplanet Names 2
| image = exoplanet_names_2.png
| titletext = I'm going to drive this Netherlands joke so far into the ground they'll have to build levees around it to keep the sea out.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT - Please change this comment when editing this page.}}

==Trivia==
Kevin Costner misspelled Kostner [[User:Miamiclay|Miamiclay]] ([[User talk:Miamiclay|talk]]) 05:00, 24 July 2015 (UTC)

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Firefly]]

1547: Solar System Questions

2015-07-24T05:19:14Z

Keavon: Added Firefly category

{{comic
| number = 1547
| date = July 6, 2015
| title = Solar System Questions
| image = solar_system_questions.png
| titletext = My country's World Cup win was exciting and all, but c'mon, what if the players wore nylon wings and COULD LITERALLY FLY?
}}

==Explanation==
This comic is a list of questions which [[Randall]] has about the Solar System, which at first glance may appear to be things that Randall would like to learn about.
In actuality, most of the questions have not been satisfactorily answered or proven by anyone in the {{w|List_of_unsolved_problems_in_physics#Astronomy_and_astrophysics|scientific community}}.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Question given
! Answer given by Randall (in red in the original)
! Comments
|-
| Why is the the Moon so blotchy?
| Lava
| The {{w|Moon}} is in synchronous rotation with Earth, which means that we always can see only one half of the surface of the Moon. And on that side we can see large {{w|lunar maria}} formed by lava from big volcanoes. This surface is very different to all other celestial bodies we know in our Solar system. The double "the the" could be a Randallism — intended or unintended.
|-
| Why are all the blotches on the near side?
| ...
| The nearside of the Moon is dominated by the blotchy 'seas' or maria, the far side by craters. {{w|Far_side_of_the_Moon#Differences|Several explanations}} for this have been proposed, including an overabundance of impacts obliterating the blotches on the more exposed far side, different compositions of heat-producing elements, large collisions, or heat produced by the still-cooling Earth.
|-
| Did Mars have seas?
| Yes (briefly?)
| Recent explorations have confirmed there was once standing (and also flowing) water on {{w|Mars}}. Many rovers and orbiters on Mars give us the evidence on this early development of that planet, but it is still unknown how long such conditions existed in its history. Two of these probes have been the subject of comics before: [[695: Spirit]] and [[1504: Opportunity]].
|-
| Was there life on Mars?
| ...
| One of the big mysteries, {{w|Life on Mars|not yet answered}}.
|-
| What's Titan like?
| Cold, yellow, lakes + rivers (methane)
| The {{w|Cassini–Huygens}} mission confirmed the presence of {{w|Lakes_of_Titan|lakes and rivers}} on {{w|Titan (moon)|Titan}}. The {{w|Huygens_(spacecraft)#Findings|Huygens}} lander itself returned some very yellow images of a dry lake bed from Titan's surface. The possibility of life on Titan was mentioned in [[829: Arsenic-Based Life]].
|-
| What was Earth like during the Hadean?
| ...
| The {{w|Hadean}} was the first geologic era on earth, the planet had just formed and not much is known of that period of Earth. But since it was the time when Earth was formed it was mainly very hot with extreme volcanic activity, with the entire surface melted. This is why the era is named after {{w|Hades}} the ancient Greek god of the underworld, even though Hades was never associated with fire.
|-
| Is the Oort Cloud a real thing?
| ...
| The {{w|Oort Cloud}} is a theoretical spherical cloud of icy planetesimal, maybe dust, and also larger objects at a distance of up to around 100,000 {{w|Astronomical units|AU}} to our Sun. We can see similar clouds at other stars, but there is still no evidence that this cloud exists in our Solar System.
|-
| Why is the Sun's corona so hot?
| Something about magnets?
| The {{w|corona}} of the sun is hotter than it theoretically should be. The looping magnetic fields in this area could be responsible.
|-
| What are comets like?
| Precipitous
| The {{w|Philae (spacecraft)|Philae lander}} finally stopped moving when it ran into a cliff.
|-
| Where's Philae, exactly?
| ...
| ...but we're not sure ''which'' cliff. The landing of Philae was depicted in real time in the dynamic comic [[1446: Landing]]. This lasted for several hours. Later the comic was updated with a new image where Philae is resting on the edge of a cliff.
|-
| What's Pluto like?
| rowspan="2" | [Soon!]
| rowspan="2" | The probe {{w|New Horizons}} may be about to answer both of these questions, as it will reach its closest approach to both {{w|Pluto}} and {{w|Charon (moon)|Charon}} just eight days after the release of this comic. The probe was the subject of the comic [[1532: New Horizons]].
|-
| What's Charon like?
|-
| Why don't we have in-between-sized planets?
| ...
| There is a size-gap between the rocky {{w|terrestrial planets}} up to Earth size and the {{w|gas giants}} very much larger than Earth in our Solar System.
There are many known {{w|exoplanets}} (planets in other solar systems) filling in the range between our rocky planets and our gas giants, known as [https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2c/Exoplanet_Mass-Radius_Scatter_Super-Earth.png Super-Earths]
|-
| What's Ceres like?
| [Working on it!]
| The {{w|Dawn (spacecraft)|Dawn probe}} is currently exploring the {{w|dwarf planet}} {{w|Ceres (dwarf planet)|Ceres}} and reveals unseen surface features.
|-
| Why is Europa so weird-looking and pretty?
| Ice over a water ocean
| {{w|Europa (moon)|Europa}} is a moon of {{w|Jupiter}} and the surface is basically thick pack ice covered in {{w|lineae}}.
|-
| Why is Io so weird-looking?
| Sulfur volcanoes (? in the wrong places?)
| The moon {{w|Io (moon)|Io}} is also orbiting Jupiter and is close enough that {{w|tidal forces}} make it the most volcanic object in the solar system. The moon is mainly yellow but there are several other colors on the surface, for instance spots and streaks of bright red color that comes from {{w|sulfur}} which is ejected by the volcanoes. The "wrong places" refer to some volcanoes discovered by the {{w|Voyager program|Voyager missions}} and believed to erupt sulfur. But more recent measurements did show up that the temperature inside that volcanoes is about 2.000 °C where this element is not liquid any more but gas.
|-
| Why are so many Kuiper Belt objects red?
| ...
| Many objects in the {{w|Kuiper Belt}} have a reddish hue. A possible explanation is that they are [http://www.space.com/9418-icy-red-objects-solar-system-edge-point-life-building-blocks.html| covered in organic molecules] formed by the irradiation of their surface ices. The New Horizons probe might also shed light on this.
|-
| What are those spots on Ceres?
| ...
| The Dawn probe found some mysterious spots on the Ceres. These [http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/jpeg/PIA19568.jpg white spots] are still not understood, but the mission is still running and we may figure out the source of the glowing white features. These spots became the punch line of the joke in [[1476: Ceres]].
|-
| What's in the seas under Europa's ice?
| ...
| The European {{w|ESA}} selected the mission {{w|Jupiter Icy Moon Explorer|Jupiter Icy Moon Explorer (JUICE)}} to Jupiter. The moon Europa is one target for that mission. But we have to wait, its launch target is 2022 and the arrival at Jupiter is planned for 2030. But that's not uncommon for missions like this, New Horizons or {{w|Rosetta (spacecraft)|Rosetta}} did also travel approx. ten years to reach their target. And before such a mission can start many preparations have to be done. {{w|2010: Odyssey Two}} is a 1982 science fiction novel by {{w|Arthur C. Clarke}} in which he envisions life under the ice on Europa. This life becomes a major plot point both in this and in the two sequels.
|-
| Which of the other moons have seas?
| Several
| Randall has already mentioned above that there are liquids on two moons. The Moon Titan at Saturn has lakes on its surface formed by liquid ethane, methane, and propane and the moon Europa of Jupiter has a sea of water cowered on a thick sheet of ice. Depending on the definition of 'sea', other less obviously 'frozen water world' moons such as {{w|Ganymede (moon)|Ganymede}} at Jupiter may have {{w|Ganymede (moon)#Subsurface oceans|subsurface}} [http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn27151-aurora-reveals-jupiter-moons-secret-subsurface-sea.html oceans] of liquid water and on other moons it could be other substance that are liquid at the relevant temperature, like on Titan.
|-
| What are the big white things in Titan's lakes?
| ...
| This is a joke about some gaps in the radar measurements as shown in this [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:PIA10008_Seas_and_Lakes_on_Titan_full_size.jpg image].
|-
| What do Jupiter's clouds look like up close?
| ...
| The Jupiter mission {{w|Galileo (spacecraft)|Galileo}}, operated by NASA and the German Aerospace Center (DLR), arrived at Jupiter by 1995 and was sent to an impact on the planet at the end of that mission in 2003 to eliminate the possibility of contaminating local moons with terrestrial bacteria. Several measurements where done on the atmosphere but no pictures were sent back to Earth. So there is still no answer on this question.
|-
| What's all that red stuff in the Great Red Spot?
| ...
| The {{w|Great Red Spot}} is a storm, south of Jupiter's equator. Observations from Earth show a lifetime of more than 150 years. It's unknown why it's stable for that long time and it's also not clear why the color is red. The probe {{w|Juno (spacecraft)|Juno}} will arrive in July 2016 at Jupiter and maybe answer Randall's question.
|-
| What's pushing the Pioneer probes?
| Heat from the RTG
| Discussed as the {{w|Pioneer anomaly}}. RTG stands for {{w|Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator}}. This effect was mentioned (and explained a little differently) in the title text of [[502: Dark Flow]].
|-
| What pushes spacecraft slightly during flybys?
| ...
| Several spacecraft experienced unexplained speed increases during Earth flybys. This is called the {{w|flyby anomaly}}.
|-
| Where are all the Sun's neutrinos?
| Oscillating
| There are less observed electron neutrinos from the sun then the standard model predicts. This is called the {{w|Solar neutrino problem}}. Since the sum of all the neutrino, regardless of type, that come from the sun add up to the predicted number of electron neutrinos it is theorized that neutrinos can change there type. This is called {{w|Neutrino oscillation}}, and can only occur if the {{w|neutrinos}} have a mass. Neutrino oscillation is considered a proof that the mass of a neutrino is non zero. The {{w|Neutrino#Mass|mass of a neutrino}} is not yet measured and is one of the problems on the {{w|List_of_unsolved_problems_in_physics#High-energy_physics.2Fparticle_physics|list of unsolved problems in physics}} on Wikipedia.
|-
| Why is there so much air on Titan?
| ...
| {{w|Titan (moon)|Titan}} has an atmospheric pressure 1.45 times that of Earth, but only 1/7th of the surface gravity which is less than Earth's own airless Moon has. Hence the confusion! In fact, Titan actually has almost 20% more atmosphere by mass than Earth, and ''seven times'' more atmosphere across a given surface area! Less influence from the more distant Sun probably helps retain more of the atmosphere's gasses (for instance, Mars saw most of its atmosphere blasted away by the sun), and {{w|cryovolcanoes}} may replenish the methane fraction which should by now have ''all'' been converted into the other hydrocarbons present from subsurface reservoirs. Further studies are required to properly answer this question.
|-
| Why does the Kuiper Belt stop?
| ...
| A reference to the {{w|Kuiper Cliff}}. Most Kuiper Belt Objects are found between 42 and 48 {{w|astronomical units|AU}}; calculations predicted that there would be more and larger KBOs beyond 50 AU, but instead very few objects have been found in that region. The reason for this is still unknown.
|-
| Why is Iapetus weird-colored?
| ...
| {{w|Iapetus (moon)|Iapetus}} is a moon of {{w|Saturn}} and always keeping the same face towards Saturn. The trailing side is white while the other side is dark.
|-
| Why does Iapetus have a belt?
| ...
| Iapetus has a 13 km high ridge around most of the equator, and a number of 10 km high mountains where the ridge is interrupted.
|-
| What's the deal with Miranda?
| ...
| {{w|Miranda_(moon)|Miranda}} is the smallest of {{w|Uranus}}' five round satellites, and it's {{w|Verona Rupes|a bit rough around the edges}} and also has an unusually high orbital inclination that is difficult to explain. Also possibly a [[Firefly|''Firefly'' reference]] since {{w|List of Firefly planets and moons#Miranda|Miranda}} is also the name of a planet in {{w|Serenity (film)|''Serenity''}}, a film based on the {{w|Firefly (TV series)|''Firefly''}} TV series.
|-
| Did Uranus and Neptune change places?
| ...
| The {{w|Nice model}} is a theory of how our solar system formed, which suggested the possibility of Uranus and {{w|Neptune}} having swapped places before reaching their current positions. Work by Professor S. Desch [http://dusty.la.asu.edu/~desch/publications/2007/Desch2007.pdf also came to this result].
|-
| Did the Late Heavy Bombardment happen?
| ...
| The {{w|Late Heavy Bombardment}} is the name given to a theorised bombardment of the planet Earth during its early history, along with the other rocky planets around the Sun. It's believed that during that time many large objects still existed and are likely to have impacted the planets. On Earth the evidence for those impacts would have been destroyed, but on the Moon or Mercury some evidence may be available.
|-
| Did life start before it?
| ...
| For some speculation on this topic, see [http://www.livescience.com/5426-life-survived-earth-early-bombardment.html Life Could Have Survived Earth's Early Bombardment]. It is still a mystery if life was formed on Earth first or if it came from outer space.
|-
| Is Europa covered in ice spikes?
| ...
|Dr Daniel Hobley has put forward a [http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-21341176 theory] that Jupiter's icy moon, {{w|Europa (moon)|Europa}}, has the right conditions to form ice spikes called {{w|penitentes}} of up to 10m in height.
|-
| Why haven't we built a big inflatable Extreme Sports Complex on The Moon?
| ...
| Apart from the question on the white on Titan, this is the only really silly question that has nothing to do with science or the solar system. However, it would be fun to watch sport in such a stadium - see the title text. See also, e.g., ''{{w|The Menace From Earth}}'', a 1957 short story by Robert Heinlein.
|}

The title text refers to the {{w|2015 FIFA Women's World Cup}} which was won by USA a day before. The nylon wings and flying may be a reference to two passages from 3001: The Final Odyssey, one where Frank Poole tries out various wings while in an extremely low gravity environment, and one where he remarks while watching Swan Lake that Tchaikovsky could never have imagined a performance where the dancers were actually flying (due to aforementioned low gravity). This is also a reference to the last point on the list, because if we had such a stadium on the moon, maybe it would be possible to use such wings to make very long floating leaps.

==Transcript==
:'''Questions I have'''
:'''about the solar system'''
:(some answered)

:{| class="wikitable" style="border: 0px;"
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Why is the the Moon so blotchy?
| style="border: 0px; color:red;" | Lava
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Why are all the blotches on the near side?
| style="border: 0px;" |
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Did Mars have seas?
| style="border: 0px; color:red;" | Yes (briefly?)
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Was there life on Mars?
| style="border: 0px;" |
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | What's Titan like?
| style="border: 0px; color:red;" | Cold, yellow, lakes + rivers (methane)
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | What was Earth like during the Hadean?
| style="border: 0px;" |
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Is the Oort Cloud a real thing?
| style="border: 0px;" |
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Why is the Sun's corona so hot?
| style="border: 0px; color:red;" | Something about magnets?
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | What are comets like?
| style="border: 0px; color:red;" | Precipitous
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Where's Philae, exactly?
| style="border: 0px;" |
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | What's Pluto like?
| style="border: 0px; color:red;" rowspan="2" | [Soon!]
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | What's Charon like?
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Why don't we have in-between-sized planets?
| style="border: 0px;" |
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | What's Ceres like?
| style="border: 0px; color:red;" | [Working on it!]
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Why is Europa so wierd-looking and pretty?
| style="border: 0px; color:red;" | Ice over a water ocean
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Why is Io so weird-looking?
| style="border: 0px; color:red;" | Sulfur volcanoes (? in the wrong places?)
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Why are so many Kuiper Belt objects red?
| style="border: 0px;" |
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | What are those spots on Ceres?
| style="border: 0px;" |
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | What's in the seas under Europa's ice?
| style="border: 0px;" |
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Which of the other moons have seas?
| style="border: 0px; color:red;" | Several
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | What are the big white things in Titan's Lakes?
| style="border: 0px;" |
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | What do Jupiter's clouds look like up close?
| style="border: 0px;" |
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | What's all that red stuff in the Great Red Spot?
| style="border: 0px;" |
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | What's pushing the Pioneer Probes?
| style="border: 0px; color:red;" | Heat from the RTG
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | What pushes spacecraft slightly during flybys?
| style="border: 0px;" |
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Where are all the Sun's Neutrinos?
| style="border: 0px; color:red;" | Oscillating
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Why is there so much air on Titan?
| style="border: 0px;" |
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Why does the Kuiper Belt Stop?
| style="border: 0px;" |
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Why is Iapetus weird-colored?
| style="border: 0px;" |
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Why does Iapetus have a belt?
| style="border: 0px;" |
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | What's the deal with Miranda?
| style="border: 0px;" |
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Did Uranus and Neptune change places?
| style="border: 0px;" |
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Did the Late Heavy Bombardment happen?
| style="border: 0px;" |
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Did life start before it?
| style="border: 0px;" |
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Is Europa covered in ice spikes?
| style="border: 0px;" |
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Why haven't we built a big inflatable extreme sports complex on the moon?
| style="border: 0px;" |
|}

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Soccer]]
[[Category:Space]]
[[Category:Astronomy]]
[[Category:Firefly]]

1551: Pluto

2015-07-24T05:18:20Z

Keavon: Added Firefly category

{{comic
| number = 1551
| date = July 14, 2015
| title = Pluto
| image = pluto.png
| titletext = After decades of increasingly confused arguing, Pluto is reclassified as a "dwarf Pluto."
}}
When the image is clicked the corresponding [http://www.nasa.gov/feature/new-horizons-spacecraft-displays-pluto-s-big-heart-0 NASA post] opens up.
==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Many parts are not correct and many details are missing.}}

This comic was posted on Tuesday, July 14th 2015, in honor of the {{w|New Horizons}} deep space probe making its flyby at {{w|Pluto}}, thus breaking the typical Monday/Wednesday/Friday cycle for the [[xkcd]] comics. Also on this day he released the first [[what if?]] in over three months, and it was called [http://what-if.xkcd.com/137/ New Horizons].

[[Randall]] has taken one of the probes images of Pluto, and outlined humorous examples of {{w|Pareidolia|pareidolia}} on top of it.

It can be compared to preliminary descriptions by geologists, e.g. [http://www.planetary.org/blogs/emily-lakdawalla/2015/07140911-new-horizons-best-look-at.html?referrer=http://t.co/ExQJ6cKS1Q New Horizons' best look at Pluto before close approach | The Planetary Society].

The comic probably winks at {{w|Percival_Lowell|Percival Lowell}} whose observatory photographed Pluto in 1915 "known" as Planet X. Unfortunately Percival Lowell is most famous for are his drawings of the {{w|Martian_canal|Canals on Mars}} which are widely misunderstood as channels based on wrong translations from Italian to other languages.

The title text refers to the debate as to whether Pluto should be classified as a full or dwarf planet. This debate was particularly brought into the public eye, and came to be seen as a matter of controversy, following the 2006 {{w|IAU definition of planet}}. The text may imagine that this debate winds on, with definitions being created and revised until a ridiculous state is reached whereby Pluto has a special class of celestial body named after it called a 'Pluto', but fails to fulfill the arbitrary criteria set up for it, and hence is called a 'dwarf Pluto'.

There actually exist the terms {{w|Plutoid}} and {{w|Plutino}}, that relate directly to groups that Pluto belongs to, but see those pages for details of their use and usage.

===Details on Randalls discoveries===

;Candy shell
Suggests Pluto is a confection, like [http://wiki.kerbalspaceprogram.com/wiki/Minmus Minmus]. May also be a reference to the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_%28chocolate_bar%29 Mars] candy bar.

;JPEG plumes
The {{w|JPEG}} image format has the common issue of slightly distorting an image with {{w|Compression artifact}}s. The artifacts shown here do not appear in the official version of this image, but all data sent from New Horizons is compressed and artifacts are common — the full resolution images will be submitted to earth over the next 16 months. There have been tweets about people seeing plumes associated with active volcanoes and the like, which were explained as being artifacts.

;Frontal bone
Interpreting Pluto as a head, the {{w|frontal bone}} could be the light-colored region next to the darker top, just above the north pole facing to us.

;Grease stains
The area above Pluto's north pole is attributed to grease.

;Bugs
Could refer to possible extraterrestrial life on Pluto in the form of {{w|insects}}, or "bugs". In the animated TV series ''Roughnecks: Starship Troopers Chronicles'', an adaptation of Robert Heinlein's novel ''Starship Troopers'', the first battles with the alien "Bugs" took place on Pluto. Maybe it also refers to a software bug at the probe.

;Bullet holes
A string of small round features which Randall suggests were the result of Pluto getting shot repeatedly, probably by meteorites.

;New Netherlands
Reference to the what if?, [https://what-if.xkcd.com/54/ Drain the Oceans: Part II], about draining the Earth's oceans onto Mars. In the previous what if?, [https://what-if.xkcd.com/53/ Drain the Oceans], the Netherlands took over the Earth once their problem with the risk of flooding disappeared. And then they continued to issued forth from the portal that drained the oceans on Earth pouring them onto Mars, to claim Mars as New Netherlands. Presumably something similar happened on Pluto.

;Disputed territory
Since the base photograph is identified as "today's ''New Horizons'' image," this indicates that a section of Pluto has immediately become the subject of some controversy, possibly a territorial claim or one of several references to the fact that Pluto was demoted from full planet status in 2006.

;Snake pit
A generic map hazard.

;Full text of the Wikipedia article on pareidolia
{{w|Pareidolia}} is the human brain's tendency to see patterns where they don't exist. While probably a reference to Pluto's heart, the joke is also recursive: You'd be seeing the text of a Wikipedia article explaining to you that you couldn't actually be seeing the text of a Wikipedia article.

;Tadpole
One of a number of pareidolic features Randall has outlined.

;Kuiper Belt loops
The {{w|Kuiper belt}} is a region in our solar system that contains an unknown amount of icy bodies, one known is Pluto. Randall jokingly refers to Kuiper Belt as the same kind of belt that's used to fasten clothing, and identifies features on Pluto's surface as loops for the belt.

;Serenity
An outline of the ''Firefly''-class spaceship ''Serenity'', which was the titular vessel from the 2002 TV series ''{{w|Firefly (TV series)|Firefly}}''. One of a number of pareidolic features Randall has outlined.

;Dinosaur
Nobody can see a dinosaur unless Randall did do this painting on Pluto's surface. And a complex comic needs at least one dinosaur.

;The good part
A random, arbitrary selection of Pluto that is somehow better than the rest of Pluto. Only Randall knows why.

;Moon bud
This could be interpreted as a moon growing/emerging out of pluto, as a bud is "a compact knob-like growth". A round growth is seen at the location marked, resembling a small, emerging moon.

;Ghost
A reference to the classic video game ''{{w|Pacman}}'', wherein the primary antagonists are one of four Ghosts. The Ghost on Pluto appears to have a mouth, however, unlike most depictions of the ''Pacman'' Ghosts. One of a number of pareidolic features Randall has outlined.

;Pluto dinosaur extinction crater
Suggests Pluto had dinosaurs and lost them the same way Earth did.

;Heart
One of a number of pareidolic features Randall has outlined, and the only one (currently) also informally named as such by NASA.

;Coronary artery disease
Also known as {{w|ischemic heart disease}}, which causes degradation of heart tissue. The region identified in the comic looks less 'healthy' (is darker and more ragged) compared to the rest of the 'Heart', which Randall suggests is caused by the disease.

;Mount Mons
Referring to the general practice of naming extraterrestrial mountains {{w|Mons (planetary nomenclature)|"X Mons"}} (e.g. {{w|Olympus Mons}}, a mountain on Mars and the largest mountain in the Solar System), as well as naming terrestrial mountains "Mount X". Since "mons" is Latin for "mountain", the feature's suggested name translates as "Mount Mountain".

;Charging socket
A terrain feature suitable for connecting an outside source of electricity for the benefit of implied internal batteries. Compare "dock connector," below.

;Cracks (beginning to hatch)
Implying that Pluto is some manner of giant egg. Possibly a reference to the ''Doctor Who'' episode ''Kill the Moon'', in which the Moon is revealed to be an egg from which a monster is hatching. A 2014 article from ''The Onion'', [http://www.theonion.com/article/moon-finally-hatches-36414 "Moon Finally Hatches,"] makes the same joke. Also possibly a reference to ''The Light Fantastic'', a ''Discworld'' novel in which similar objects are revealed to be the eggs of the world turtle. A similar idea appeared in Jack Williamson's 1934 short story "Born of the Sun".

;Plug (inflating/deflating)
Balls often have a "plug" or opening to insert a needle to inflate or deflate them.

;Scars from predator attacks
Since it's all-caps, we can't tell if "PREDATOR" is a proper noun, but this is possibly a reference to the movie series ''{{w|Predator (franchise)|Predator}}'', about a race of aliens who hunt other beings for sport. Alternatively, a planetary predator (such as comic book villain {{w|Galactus}}) may have previously scarred Pluto.

;Reset button
The structure indicated is a small black dot (at least at this distance this picture was taken). Reset buttons on home electronics are often small buttons or holes used to reset the software of the electronic device.

;Megaman
One of a number of pareidolic features Randall has outlined, this one in the shape of a {{w|Mega_Man_(character)|popular video game protagonist.}}

;Debate Hole - Where we're putting all the people still arguing about Pluto's planet status
Pluto was reclassified as a {{w|dwarf planet}} rather than a {{w|planet}} following the latter term's controversial {{w|redefinition in 2006}} by the {{w|International Astronomical Union}}. Arguments about the classification continue to pop up. The same argument is referenced in the title text. The name implies a proposal to put all the people still arguing about it in this hole on Pluto. This proposal further implies that the continued debate is very annoying by 2015, except perhaps to the debaters themselves.

;Area missed during ironing
The area indicated is near the {{w|Terminator (solar)|terminator}} and shows some intriguing topographic relief.

;Probably Benign
A {{w|neoplasm}} or tumor is an abnormal growth of tissue. Randall is suggesting that the abnormal region near the heart has been evaluated by a doctor and determined to be {{w|Benign tumor|benign}}.

;Chocolate frosting
Suggests the discrepancy in color over Pluto's surface may be a function of what cake frosting was used where. This are is the so-called "whale's tail" (http://www.nbcnews.com/science/space/find-heart-whale-new-horizons-picture-pluto-n388816).

;Vanilla frosting
As above, suggests the discrepancy in color over Pluto's surface may be a function of what cake frosting was used where.

;Border of pride lands
A reference to the Disney animated feature ''The Lion King.'' In the movie, the Pridelands is the bright and prosperous region ruled by the Lion King while a dark territory beyond its border is controlled by hyenas.

;Hyena country
A continuation of the ''Lion King'' reference above.

;Dock connector
From the point of view of the photograph, this feature of Pluto is at the planet's "bottom," where iPod dock connectors are. Compare "charging socket," above.

==Transcript==
:'''PLUTO'''
:Some of the features already identified in today's ''New Horizons'' image

:[Many marks on the image of Pluto follow:]

:Candy shell
:Frontal bone
:Grease stains
:Bugs
:JPEG plumes
:Full text of the wikipedia article on pareidolia
:Bullet holes
:New Netherlands
:Disputed territory
:Snake pit
:Tadpole
:Pluto dinosaur extinction crater
:Kuiper beltloops
:Serenity
:Ghost
:Dinosaur
:The good part
:Moon bud
:Scars from predator attacks
:Reset button
:Megaman
:Charging socket
:Cracks (beginning to hatch)
:Plug (inflating/deflating)
:HEART
::Mount Mons
::Coronary artery disease
:Debate hole
::Where we're putting all the people still arguing about Pluto's planet status
:Chocolate frosting
:Probably benign
:Vanilla frosting
:Dock connector
:Border of pride lands
:Hyena country
:Area missed during ironing

:Image credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI - click for original

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Space]]
[[Category:Astronomy]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Firefly]]

1551: Pluto

2015-07-24T05:16:32Z

Keavon: Fixed Wikipedia link to Firefly

Talk:1555: Exoplanet Names 2

2015-07-24T05:12:06Z

Keavon:

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znxFrgql5dc "This Land"] is a ''Firefly'' reference. [[User:Keavon|Keavon]] ([[User talk:Keavon|talk]]) 05:11, 24 July 2015 (UTC)

.. I almost feel like that titletext gives enough reason for there to be (some) pages about the [[what_if?|''What If?'']] series, but ehhhh... [[User:Pixali|Pixali]] ([[User talk:Pixali|talk]]|[[Special:Contributions/Pixali|contribs]]) 05:02, 24 July 2015 (UTC)

What is with Kepler-283? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.214.137|108.162.214.137]] 05:09, 24 July 2015 (UTC)

== Novella ==

I'm not 100% sure what "Novella" refers to, aside from the dictionary definition of the word (and if that's the case I'm unsure of the context), but in case it's not widely-known on this wiki, I want to suggest the possibility that it's a tribute to the Novella brothers, who are among the co-hosts of the popular science podcast The Skeptic's Guide to the Universe. - [[Special:Contributions/108.162.241.175|108.162.241.175]] 04:43, 24 July 2015 (UTC)

Talk:1555: Exoplanet Names 2

2015-07-24T05:11:07Z

Keavon:

.. I almost feel like that titletext gives enough reason for there to be (some) pages about the [[what_if?|''What If?'']] series, but ehhhh... [[User:Pixali|Pixali]] ([[User talk:Pixali|talk]]|[[Special:Contributions/Pixali|contribs]]) 05:02, 24 July 2015 (UTC)

What is with Kepler-283? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.214.137|108.162.214.137]] 05:09, 24 July 2015 (UTC)

== Novella ==

I'm not 100% sure what "Novella" refers to, aside from the dictionary definition of the word (and if that's the case I'm unsure of the context), but in case it's not widely-known on this wiki, I want to suggest the possibility that it's a tribute to the Novella brothers, who are among the co-hosts of the popular science podcast The Skeptic's Guide to the Universe. - [[Special:Contributions/108.162.241.175|108.162.241.175]] 04:43, 24 July 2015 (UTC)

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znxFrgql5dc "This Land"] is a ''Firefly'' reference. [[User:Keavon|Keavon]] ([[User talk:Keavon|talk]]) 05:11, 24 July 2015 (UTC)

1547: Solar System Questions

2015-07-08T14:31:23Z

Keavon: Fixed typo

{{comic
| number = 1547
| date = July 6, 2015
| title = Solar System Questions
| image = solar_system_questions.png
| titletext = My country's World Cup win was exciting and all, but c'mon, what if the players wore nylon wings and COULD LITERALLY FLY?
}}

==Explanation==
This comic is a list of questions which [[Randall]] has about the Solar System, which at first glance may appear to be things that Randall would like to learn about.
In actuality, most of the questions have not been satisfactorily answered or proven by anyone in the {{w|List_of_unsolved_problems_in_physics#Astronomy_and_astrophysics|scientific community}}.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Question given
! Answer given by Randall (in red in the original)
! Comments
|-
| Why is the the Moon so blotchy?
| Lava
| The {{w|Moon}} is in synchronous rotation with Earth, which means that we always can see only one half of the surface of the Moon. And on that side we can see large {{w|lunar maria}} formed by lava from big volcanoes. This surface is very different to all other celestial bodies we know in our Solar system. The double "the the" could be a Randallism — intended or unintended.
|-
| Why are all the blotches on the near side?
| ...
| The nearside of the Moon is dominated by the blotchy 'seas' or maria, the far side by craters. {{w|Far_side_of_the_Moon#Differences|Several explanations}} for this have been proposed, including an overabundance of impacts obliterating the blotches on the more exposed far side, different compositions of heat-producing elements, large collisions, or heat produced by the still-cooling Earth.
|-
| Did Mars have seas?
| Yes (briefly?)
| Recent explorations have confirmed there was once standing (and also flowing) water on {{w|Mars}}. Many rovers and orbiters on Mars give us the evidence on this early development of that planet, but it is still unknown how long such conditions existed in its history. Two of these probes have been the subject of comics before: [[695: Spirit]] and [[1504: Opportunity]].
|-
| Was there life on Mars?
| ...
| One of the big mysteries, {{w|Life on Mars|not yet answered}}.
|-
| What's Titan like?
| Cold, yellow, lakes + rivers (methane)
| The {{w|Cassini–Huygens}} mission confirmed the presence of {{w|Lakes_of_Titan|lakes and rivers}} on {{w|Titan (moon)|Titan}}. The {{w|Huygens_(spacecraft)#Findings|Huygens}} lander itself returned some very yellow images of a dry lake bed from Titan's surface. The possibility of life on Titan was mentioned in [[829: Arsenic-Based Life]].
|-
| What was Earth like during the Hadean?
| ...
| The {{w|Hadean}} was the first geologic era on earth, the planet had just formed and not much is known of that period of Earth. But since it was the time when Earth was formed it was mainly very hot with extreme volcanic activity, with the entire surface melted. This is why the era is named after {{w|Hades}} the ancient Greek god of the underworld, even though Hades was never associated with fire.
|-
| Is the Oort Cloud a real thing?
| ...
| The {{w|Oort Cloud}} is a theoretical spherical cloud of icy planetesimal, maybe dust, and also larger objects at a distance of up to around 100,000 {{w|Astronomical units|AU}} to our Sun. We can see similar clouds at other stars, but there is still no evidence that this cloud exists in our Solar System.
|-
| Why is the Sun's corona so hot?
| Something about magnets?
| The {{w|corona}} of the sun is hotter than it theoretically should be. The looping magnetic fields in this area could be responsible.
|-
| What are comets like?
| Precipitous
| The {{w|Philae (spacecraft)|Philae lander}} is next to a cliff...
|-
| Where's Philae, exactly?
| ...
| ...but we're not sure ''which'' cliff. The landing of Philae was depicted in real time in the dynamic comic [[1446: Landing]]. This lasted for several hours. Later the comic was updated with a new image where Philae is resting on the edge of a cliff.
|-
| What's Pluto like?
| rowspan="2" | [Soon!]
| rowspan="2" | The probe {{w|New Horizons}} may be about to answer both of these questions, as it will reach its closest approach to both {{w|Pluto}} and {{w|Charon (moon)|Charon}} just eight days after the release of this comic. The probe was the subject of the comic [[1532: New Horizons]].
|-
| What's Charon like?
|-
| Why don't we have in-between-sized planets?
| ...
| There is a size-gap between the rocky {{w|terrestrial planets}} up to Earth size and the {{w|gas giants}} very much larger than Earth in our Solar System.
There are many known {{w|exoplanets}} (planets in other solar systems) filling in the range between our rocky planets and our gas giants, known as [https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2c/Exoplanet_Mass-Radius_Scatter_Super-Earth.png Super-Earths]
|-
| What's Ceres like?
| [Working on it!]
| The {{w|Dawn (spacecraft)|Dawn probe}} is currently exploring the {{w|dwarf planet}} {{w|Ceres (dwarf planet)|Ceres}} and reveals unseen surface features.
|-
| Why is Europa so weird-looking and pretty?
| Ice over a water ocean
| {{w|Europa (moon)|Europa}} is a moon of {{w|Jupiter}} and the surface is basically thick pack ice covered in {{w|lineae}}.
|-
| Why is Io so weird-looking?
| Sulfur volcanoes (? in the wrong places?)
| The moon {{w|Io (moon)|Io}} is also orbiting Jupiter and is close enough that {{w|tidal forces}} make it the most volcanic object in the solar system. The moon is mainly yellow but there a several other colors on the surface, for instance spots and streaks of bright red color that comes from {{w|sulfur}} which is ejected by the volcanoes. The "wrong places" refer to some volcanoes discovered by the {{w|Voyager program|Voyager missions}} and believed to erupt sulfur. But more recent measurements did show up that the temperature inside that volcanoes is about 2.000 °C where this element is not liquid any more but gas.
|-
| Why are so many Kuiper Belt objects red?
| ...
| Many objects in the {{w|Kuiper Belt}} have a reddish hue. A possible explanation is that they are [http://www.space.com/9418-icy-red-objects-solar-system-edge-point-life-building-blocks.html| covered in organic molecules] formed by the irradiation of their surface ices. The New Horizons probe might also shed light on this.
|-
| What are those spots on Ceres?
| ...
| The Dawn probe found some mysterious spots on the Ceres. These [http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/jpeg/PIA19568.jpg white spots] are still not understood, but the mission is still running and we may figure out the source of the glowing white features. These spots became the punch line of the joke in [[1476: Ceres]].
|-
| What's in the seas under Europa's ice?
| ...
| The European {{w|ESA}} selected the mission {{w|Jupiter Icy Moon Explorer|Jupiter Icy Moon Explorer (JUICE)}} to Jupiter. The moon Europa is one target for that mission. But we have to wait, its launch target is 2022 and the arrival at Jupiter is planned for 2030. But that's not uncommon for missions like this, New Horizons or {{w|Rosetta (spacecraft)|Rosetta}} did also travel approx. ten years to reach their target. And before such a mission can start many preparations have to be done. {{w|2010: Odyssey Two}} is a 1982 science fiction novel by {{w|Arthur C. Clarke}} in which he envisions life under the ice on Europa. This life becomes a major plot point both in this and in the two sequels.
|-
| Which of the other moons have seas?
| Several
| Randall has already mentioned above that there are liquids on two moons. The Moon Titan at Saturn has lakes on its surface formed by liquid ethane, methane, and propane and the moon Europa of Jupiter has a sea of water cowered on a thick sheet of ice. Depending on the definition of 'sea', other less obviously 'frozen water world' moons such as {{w|Ganymede (moon)|Ganymede}} at Jupiter may have {{w|Ganymede (moon)#Subsurface oceans|subsurface}} [http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn27151-aurora-reveals-jupiter-moons-secret-subsurface-sea.html oceans] of liquid water and on other moons it could be other substance that are liquid at the relevant temperature, like on Titan.
|-
| What are the big white things in Titan's lakes?
| ...
| This is a joke about some gaps in the radar measurements as shown in this [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:PIA10008_Seas_and_Lakes_on_Titan_full_size.jpg image].
|-
| What do Jupiter's clouds look like up close?
| ...
| The Jupiter mission {{w|Galileo (spacecraft)|Galileo}}, operated by NASA and the German Aerospace Center (DLR), arrived at Jupiter by 1995 and was sent to an impact on the planet at the end of that mission in 2003 to eliminate the possibility of contaminating local moons with terrestrial bacteria. Several measurements where done on the atmosphere but no pictures were sent back to Earth. So there is still no answer on this question.
|-
| What's all that red stuff in the Great Red Spot?
| ...
| The {{w|Great Red Spot}} is a storm, south of Jupiter's equator. Observations from Earth show a lifetime of more than 150 years. It's unknown why it's stable for that long time and it's also not clear why the color is red. The probe {{w|Juno (spacecraft)|Juno}} will arrive in July 2016 at Jupiter and maybe answer Randall's question.
|-
| What's pushing the Pioneer probes?
| Heat from the RTG
| Discussed as the {{w|Pioneer anomaly}}. RTG stands for {{w|Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator}}. This effect was mentioned (and explained a little differently) in the title text of [[502: Dark Flow]].
|-
| What pushes spacecraft slightly during flybys?
| ...
| Several spacecraft experienced unexplained speed increases during Earth flybys. This is called the {{w|flyby anomaly}}.
|-
| Where are all the Sun's neutrinos?
| Oscillating
| See: {{w|Solar neutrino problem}}. Neutrino oscillation has been an observed phenomenon since the late 1990's; see {{w|Neutrino oscillation}}.
|-
| Why is there so much air on Titan?
| ...
| {{w|Titan (moon)|Titan}} has an atmospheric pressure 1.45 times that of Earth, but only 1/7th of the surface gravity which is less than Earth's own airless Moon has. Hence the confusion! In fact, Titan actually has almost 20% more atmosphere by mass than Earth, and ''seven times'' more atmosphere across a given surface area! Less influence from the more distant Sun probably helps retain more of the atmosphere's gasses (for instance, Mars saw most of its atmosphere blasted away by the sun), and {{w|cryovolcanoes}} may replenish the methane fraction which should by now have ''all'' been converted into the other hydrocarbons present from subsurface reservoirs. Further studies are required to properly answer this question.
|-
| Why does the Kuiper Belt stop?
| ...
| A reference to the {{w|Kuiper Cliff}}. The most far accumulation of known objects is roughly closer than 50 {{w|astronomical units|AU}}, after that distance only very few objects had been found. The reason for this is still unknown.
|-
| Why is Iapetus weird-colored?
| ...
| {{w|Iapetus (moon)|Iapetus}} is a moon of {{w|Saturn}} and always keeping the same face towards Saturn. The trailing side is white while the other side is dark.
|-
| Why does Iapetus have a belt?
| ...
| Iapetus has a 13 km high ridge around most of the equator, and a number of 10 km high mountains where the ridge is interrupted.
|-
| What's the deal with Miranda?
| ...
| {{w|Miranda_(moon)|Miranda}} is the smallest of {{w|Uranus}}' five round satellites, and it's {{w|Verona Rupes|a bit rough around the edges}} and also has an unusually high orbital inclination that is difficult to explain. Also possibly a [[Firefly|''Firefly'' reference]] since {{w|List of Firefly planets and moons#Miranda|Miranda}} is also the name of a planet in {{w|Serenity (film)|''Serenity''}}, a film based on the {{w|Firefly (TV series)|''Firefly''}} TV series.
|-
| Did Uranus and Neptune change places?
| ...
| The {{w|Nice model}} is a theory of how our solar system formed, which suggested the possibility of Uranus and {{w|Neptune}} having swapped places before reaching their current positions. Work by Professor S. Desch [http://dusty.la.asu.edu/~desch/publications/2007/Desch2007.pdf also came to this result].
|-
| Did the Late Heavy Bombardment happen?
| ...
| The {{w|Late Heavy Bombardment}} did happen in the early history of Earth and the other rocky planets around the Sun. It's believed that by that time many big objects still existed and impacted to that planets. On Earth all those impacts are eroded but on Moon or Mercury without any atmosphere some evidences should be available. But this is still a matter for future science.
|-
| Did life start before it?
| ...
| For some speculation on this topic, see [http://www.livescience.com/5426-life-survived-earth-early-bombardment.html Life Could Have Survived Earth's Early Bombardment]. It is still a mystery if life was formed on Earth first or if it came from outer space.
|-
| Is Europa covered in ice spikes?
| ...
|Dr Daniel Hobley has put forward a [http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-21341176 theory] that Jupiter's icy moon, {{w|Europa (moon)|Europa}}, has the right conditions to form ice spikes called {{w|penitentes}} of up to 10m in height.
|-
| Why haven't we built a big inflatable Extreme Sports Complex on The Moon?
| ...
| Apart from the question on the white on Titan, this is the only really silly question that has nothing to do with science or the solar system. However, it would be fun to watch sport in such a stadium - see the title text. See also, e.g., ''{{w|The Menace From Earth}}'', a 1957 short story by Robert Heinlein.
|}

The title text refers to the {{w|2015 FIFA Women's World Cup}} which was won by USA a day before. The nylon wings and flying may be a reference to two passages from 3001: The Final Odyssey, one where Frank Poole tries out various wings while in an extremely low gravity environment, and one where he remarks while watching Swan Lake that Tchaikovsky could never have imagined a performance where the dancers were actually flying (due to aforementioned low gravity). This is also a reference to the last point on the list, because if we had such a stadium on the moon, maybe it would be possible to use such wings to make very long floating leaps.

==Transcript==
:'''Questions I have'''
:'''about the solar system'''
:(some answered)

:{| class="wikitable" style="border: 0px;"
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Why is the the Moon so blotchy?
| style="border: 0px; color:red;" | Lava
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Why are all the blotches on the near side?
| style="border: 0px;" |
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Did Mars have seas?
| style="border: 0px; color:red;" | Yes (briefly?)
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Was there life on Mars?
| style="border: 0px;" |
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | What's Titan like?
| style="border: 0px; color:red;" | Cold, yellow, lakes + rivers (methane)
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | What was Earth like during the Hadean?
| style="border: 0px;" |
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Is the Oort Cloud a real thing?
| style="border: 0px;" |
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Why is the Sun's corona so hot?
| style="border: 0px; color:red;" | Something about magnets?
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | What are comets like?
| style="border: 0px; color:red;" | Precipitous
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Where's Philae, exactly?
| style="border: 0px;" |
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | What's Pluto like?
| style="border: 0px; color:red;" rowspan="2" | [Soon!]
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | What's Charon like?
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Why don't we have in-between-sized planets?
| style="border: 0px;" |
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | What's Ceres like?
| style="border: 0px; color:red;" | [Working on it!]
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Why is Europa so wierd-looking and pretty?
| style="border: 0px; color:red;" | Ice over a water ocean
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Why is Io so weird-looking?
| style="border: 0px; color:red;" | Sulfur volcanoes (? in the wrong places?)
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Why are so many Kuiper Belt objects red?
| style="border: 0px;" |
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | What are those spots on Ceres?
| style="border: 0px;" |
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | What's in the seas under Europa's ice?
| style="border: 0px;" |
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Which of the other moons have seas?
| style="border: 0px; color:red;" | Several
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | What are the big white things in Titan's Lakes?
| style="border: 0px;" |
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | What do Jupiter's clouds look like up close?
| style="border: 0px;" |
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | What's all that red stuff in the Great Red Spot?
| style="border: 0px;" |
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | What's pushing the Pioneer Probes?
| style="border: 0px; color:red;" | Heat from the RTG
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | What pushes spacecraft slightly during flybys?
| style="border: 0px;" |
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Where are all the Sun's Neutrinos?
| style="border: 0px; color:red;" | Oscillating
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Why is there so much air on Titan?
| style="border: 0px;" |
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Why does the Kuiper Belt Stop?
| style="border: 0px;" |
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Why is Iapetus weird-colored?
| style="border: 0px;" |
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Why does Iapetus have a belt?
| style="border: 0px;" |
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | What's the deal with Miranda?
| style="border: 0px;" |
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Did Uranus and Neptune change places?
| style="border: 0px;" |
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Did the Late Heavy Bombardment happen?
| style="border: 0px;" |
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Did life start before it?
| style="border: 0px;" |
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Is Europa covered in ice spikes?
| style="border: 0px;" |
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Why haven't we built a big inflatable extreme sports complex on the moon?
| style="border: 0px;" |
|}

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Soccer]]
[[Category:Space]]
[[Category:Astronomy]]

1547: Solar System Questions

2015-07-06T17:54:21Z

Keavon: Removed the sic because the current wording is entirely correct and logical and the proposed "fix" wasn't at all necessary or an improvement to the wording

1547: Solar System Questions

2015-07-06T17:25:48Z

Keavon: Added to Firefly category

Firefly

2015-07-06T17:24:02Z

Keavon: Redirected page to Category:Firefly

#REDIRECT [[:Category:Firefly]]

1547: Solar System Questions

2015-07-06T17:23:27Z

Keavon: Expanded explanation and fixed links

1547: Solar System Questions

2015-07-06T17:10:13Z

Keavon: Fixed link... I hope?

1547: Solar System Questions

2015-07-06T17:05:15Z

Keavon: Added explanation for Miranda

1547: Solar System Questions

2015-07-06T17:00:09Z

Keavon: Removed the sic note since the typo is explained in the table to the right

Talk:1547: Solar System Questions

2015-07-06T15:31:29Z

Keavon:

I wonder if "What's the deal with Miranda?" is talking about one of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miranda_(moon) Uranus's satellites] or if it's a Firefly/Serenity reference? [[User:Keavon|Keavon]] ([[User talk:Keavon|talk]]) 15:31, 6 July 2015 (UTC)

Talk:1532: New Horizons

2015-06-01T07:45:03Z

Keavon:

Anyone know why the text on the comic was heavily aliased (pixelated edges), although it's since been fixed on the xkcd website? [[User:Keavon|Keavon]] ([[User talk:Keavon|talk]]) 07:45, 1 June 2015 (UTC)

= Slingshot maneuver

It uses the gravity of a planet to alter the path and speed of a spacecraft. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravity_assist Reference] I guess Steve miscalculated the maneuver. --[[User:Arturotena|Arturotena]] ([[User talk:Arturotena|talk]]) 06:41, 1 June 2015 (UTC)

= References

# Related tweet: [https://twitter.com/NASANewHorizons/status/603652798622920704 As @NASANewHorizons gets closer, our view of #Pluto gets better and better!].
# Related link: [http://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-s-new-horizons-sees-more-detail-as-it-draws-closer-to-pluto NASA’s New Horizons Sees More Detail as It Draws Closer to Pluto].
# [http://dawn.jpl.nasa.gov/team/ NASA Dawn Team]
--[[User:Arturotena|Arturotena]] ([[User talk:Arturotena|talk]]) 06:34, 1 June 2015 (UTC)

1460: SMFW

2014-12-15T05:42:16Z

Keavon: Forgot WTFW

{{comic
| number = 1460
| date = December 15, 2014
| title = SMFW
| image = smfw.png
| titletext = wtfw it's like smho tbfh, imdb.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT - Please change this comment when editing this page.}}

SMFW is an acronym for "Smoke more fucking weed".

WTFW is an acronym for "What the fuck, what?".

SMHO is an acronym for "Shaking my head off".

TBFH is an acronym for "To be fucking honest".

IMDB is the [http://www.imdb.com/ Internet Movie Database].

==Transcript==

[Cueball is sitting at a desk, crouched over a laptop]

Caption: SMFW an acronym ''almost'' makes sense

{{comic discussion}}

1460: SMFW

2014-12-15T05:41:03Z

Keavon: Added basic acronym definitions

{{comic
| number = 1460
| date = December 15, 2014
| title = SMFW
| image = smfw.png
| titletext = wtfw it's like smho tbfh, imdb.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT - Please change this comment when editing this page.}}

SMFW is an acronym for "Smoke more fucking weed".

SMHO is an acronym for "Shaking my head off".

TBFH is an acronym for "To be fucking honest".

IMDB is the [http://www.imdb.com/ Internet Movie Database].

==Transcript==

[Cueball is sitting at a desk, crouched over a laptop]

Caption: SMFW an acronym ''almost'' makes sense

{{comic discussion}}

Talk:590: Papyrus

2014-12-01T01:48:42Z

Keavon:

For reasons that should be obvious, I've put the whole page in a certain much-hated font. *Cackles maniacally.* [[User:PinkAmpersand|PinkAmpersand]] ([[User talk:PinkAmpersand|talk]]) 11:15, 14 May 2013 (UTC)

:I rather doubt whether this is really helpful. In my opinion, the purpose of this wiki is to deliver background information about the comics, not to ruminate its jokes. Besides, the page uses some Serif font for me (as I do not have Papyrus installed) which is stylistically inconsistent. If we should reach consent that this page MUST absolutely be in Papyrus, we should at least provide some appropriate fallback font. [[User:LotharW|LotharW]] ([[User talk:LotharW|talk]]) 12:46, 14 May 2013 (UTC)
::[[1167: Star Trek into Darkness]] '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 13:04, 14 May 2013 (UTC)
:::I must say I do not particularly like that page either. I think it looks childish and nonserious. Also, a second example does not necessarily justify the first. But as you see, I did not revert or change anything. If it be so, we should at least do it correctly. In the current state, the page looks simply strange to anyone who does not have the font. (As far as I know, it was included only in some versions of Microsoft Office.) Does anybody know whether the license allows web embedding? [[User:LotharW|LotharW]] ([[User talk:LotharW|talk]]) 13:54, 14 May 2013 (UTC)
Over the years I have grown a hatred towards Papyrus because it's so overused, so this comic resonated with me well. But then this week I watched Firefly and Serenity which are now both my favorite TV show and movie, and they use Papyrus. I know Randall also loves them. But now I have no idea how I should feel about the font, as I would be rather hypocritical to hate the font used so heavily in my favorite show and movie. [[User:Keavon|Keavon]] ([[User talk:Keavon|talk]]) 01:48, 1 December 2014 (UTC)

Category talk:Firefly

2014-11-27T06:41:10Z

Keavon:

[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/1110:_Click_and_Drag Click and Drag] mentions a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherman_Firefly Sherman Firefly] which is the name of a real life tank. It is unrelated to ''Firefly''. Is there another reference in the comic not mentioned in the Explain xkcd page? Or should it be removed? If there is, it should also be added to this page in quotes after the link to it. [[User:Keavon|Keavon]] ([[User talk:Keavon|talk]]) 06:40, 27 November 2014 (UTC)

Category talk:Firefly

2014-11-27T06:40:24Z

Keavon: Created page with "[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/1110:_Click_and_Drag Click and Drag] mentions a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherman_Firefly Sherman Firefly] which is the name of..."

[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/1110:_Click_and_Drag Click and Drag] mentions a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherman_Firefly Sherman Firefly] which is the name of a real life tank. It is unrelated to _Firefly_. Is there another reference in the comic not mentioned in the Explain xkcd page? Or should it be removed? [[User:Keavon|Keavon]] ([[User talk:Keavon|talk]]) 06:40, 27 November 2014 (UTC)

Talk:1446: Landing

2014-11-12T22:50:58Z

Keavon:

I would bet money that this comic will have to do with the Rosetta Lander that will be landing on a comet for the first time in history this morning. Info about it at Rosetta.esa.int

[[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.173|108.162.237.173]] 05:37, 12 November 2014 (UTC)pH

Almost definitely. The URL for the image (http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_00-40-00_wmf0bPtxDN.png) contains 'landing'.

[[User:DeedleFake|DeedleFake]] ([[User talk:DeedleFake|talk]]) 05:44, 12 November 2014 (UTC)

The image changes every five minutes. (http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_00-35-00_lVC98SMY1X.png) followed by (http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_00-40-00_wmf0bPtxDN.png) followed by (http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_00-45-00_MZprhbADHL.png) then (http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_00-50-00_Z63bWhoaxd.png) (http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_00-55-00_2wCeCFN0R1.png) (http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_01-00-00_FRnIhqA5IZ.png) (http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_01-05-00_Os6SVGalch.png) (http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_01-10-00_xn4nUL9lry.png) http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_01-15-00_soIuPGfUYh.png , also I'm sorry about deleting other people's comments - firefox decided to not show the "other people have edited this" page :(. If anyone's interested, here's the command I'm using to grab the urls:
while :; do http --stream --body http://c0.xkcd.com/stream/comic/landing\?method\=EventSource | awk '/png/ { print $2 }' | perl -ne '/(r_.+png)/; print "$1\n";' ; done
where the 'http' command is from http://httpie.org - not the neatest way to do it, but it works ;)
[[User:Forkbomb|Forkbomb]] ([[User talk:Forkbomb|talk]]) 05:47, 12 November 2014 (UTC)

Forkbomb, you are not supposed to delete other's comments...
Yes. It is definitely about Rosetta. The image changed at 9.35 pm PST and it says "Three hours to separation", i.e. 12.35am PST, which is exactly the time at which PHILAE is going to separate...
[http://imgur.com/fK9Ddrx image_seen]
[http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/11/07/rosetta-and-philae-landing-timeline/ rosetta timeline]

[[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.237|199.27.128.237]] 05:50, 12 November 2014 (UTC)

Is anyone collecting URLs? I assume there's an easy automated way to do this that was used for Time. If not...

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! URLs
|-
|http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_01-05-00_Os6SVGalch.png
|-
|http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_00-10-00_fUWUYNkxwp.png
|-
|http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_00-15-00_74eSd3x7BQ.png
|-
|http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_00-20-00_UT4FKycrmC.png
|-
|http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_00-25-00_FX6hlfSQHR.png
|-
|http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_00-30-00_FjnXADopvO.png
|-
|http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_00-35-00_lVC98SMY1X.png
|-
|http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_00-40-00_wmf0bPtxDN.png
|-
|http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_00-45-00_MZprhbADHL.png
|-
|http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_00-50-00_Z63bWhoaxd.png
|-
|http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_00-55-00_2wCeCFN0R1.png
|-
|http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_01-00-00_FRnIhqA5IZ.png
|-
|http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_01-05-00_Os6SVGalch.png
|-
|http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_01-10-00_xn4nUL9lry.png
|-
|http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_01-15-00_soIuPGfUYh.png
|-
|http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_01-20-00_jwkPNMaOSf.png
|-
|http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_01-25-00_ADajYkIBoR.png
|-
|http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_01-30-00_w819mZAIhE.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_01-35-00_LoEc4Q8fJF.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_01-40-00_YLKE5WV8Jw.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_01-45-00_QRP5ndlY4A.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_01-50-00_OAOxgR9UUR.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_01-55-00_KGFuQYeX1i.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_02-00-00_ov37tpe8BX.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_02-05-00_VwL8mLbfmW.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_02-10-00_GCNRyInxWI.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_02-15-00_CQwEg4oyk3.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_02-20-00_jkbJbYkLeP.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_02-25-00_Pxh3HKgWnT.png
|}

Randall switched to SSL after 1:30 but you can of course use either server.

- Marcustyphoon/[[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.244|108.162.219.244]] 07:37, 12 November 2014 (UTC)

(http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_00-45-00_MZprhbADHL.png) "Has anyone ever tried this before?" "No but fetishes have to start somewhere, right?" [[User:Nexxuz|Nexxuz]] ([[User talk:Nexxuz|talk]])

Probably just a mistake, but the transcript in the html source of 1446 is from 1445. --[[User:Pascal|Pascal]] ([[User talk:Pascal|talk]]) 05:58, 12 November 2014 (UTC)

It fetches things using this javascript tag..
<script type="text/javascript" src="/s/c3b919.js"></script>
I've pasted it in pastebin, can we get zealous and fetch the images before they actually show up ? :P
[http://pastebin.com/MwsahkyE link_to_javascript]
[[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.237|199.27.128.237]] 06:04, 12 November 2014 (UTC)

By the way, the current explanation says it's pinging c4.xkcd for updates.
From the javascript source, it looks like there's more than one server for this:
var SERVERS = ["http://c0.xkcd.com", "http://c1.xkcd.com", "http://c2.xkcd.com", "http://c3.xkcd.com", "http://c4.xkcd.com", "http://c5.xkcd.com", "http://c6.xkcd.com", "http://c7.xkcd.com"];
So that would be c0 to c7

Unfortuantely, as I had suggested, it seems that we cannot grab all the images beforehand :(
The javascript only fetches a json, which actually gives image name. So there's a server side script running which generates the paths to actual images. The javascript just shows it..
You can see the json [http://c4.xkcd.com/stream/comic/landing?method=EventSource here].
[[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.237|199.27.128.237]] 06:23, 12 November 2014 (UTC)

Attempting to load the URL directly in Firefox results in unreadable results, but it's something like
id: acae0462-6a34-11e4-8001-002590720087
event: comic/landing
data: {"image":"r_01-25-00_ADajYkIBoR.png","spread":1}
There are several other events as well, such as 'reload' and 'heartbeat'.
[[User:DeedleFake|DeedleFake]] ([[User talk:DeedleFake|talk]]) 06:32, 12 November 2014 (UTC)

By the way, that UUID (i.e. acae0462-6a34-11e4-8001-002590720087) seems to encode the time the image was uploaded as a v1 UUID.
[[User:Maths22|Maths22]] ([[User talk:Maths22|talk]]) 06:58, 12 November 2014 (UTC)

The best part of this is ninja-ing the image uploads. The xkcd servers seem to be off atomic time by around 45 seconds. [[User:Skylarmt|Skylarmt]] ([[User talk:Skylarmt|talk]]) 06:45, 12 November 2014 (UTC)

What are people's thoughts on changing the image label to an image number? It seems redundant to use the timestamp twice, but I copied it over from time. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 07:06, 12 November 2014 (UTC)

A lovely explanation. Itaigreif (talk) 07:45, 12 November 2014 (UTC)

Why is the comic titled "???" and not "Rosetta" or something? [[User:Smperron|Smperron]] ([[User talk:Smperron|talk]]) 08:02, 12 November 2014 (UTC)

:"Rosetta" would have given the game away in the first few minutes before we could figure it out. "???" is a strange choice, though. [[Special:Contributions/103.22.201.157|103.22.201.157]] 09:20, 12 November 2014 (UTC)

The page has changed name from "???" to "Landing" about 5AM, and title text changed from "..." to "[LIVE]". Not sure about actual times, and don't know how to rename page. Can someone else handle this? [[Special:Contributions/141.101.89.217|141.101.89.217]] 10:12, 12 November 2014 (UTC)

At 00:03:50 the comic mentions turning on CONCERT, which I think is a typo and should be {{w|CONSERT}} --[[User:Pudder|Pudder]] ([[User talk:Pudder|talk]]) 10:56, 12 November 2014 (UTC)
:I think this is a typo Randall made on purpose. [[User:SirKitKat|SirKitKat]] ([[User talk:SirKitKat|talk]]) 15:45, 12 November 2014 (UTC)
::Welp - if it's a joke or other reference, it's lost on me - do you have an explanation for what it could mean if intentional? -- [[User:Brettpeirce|Brettpeirce]] ([[User talk:Brettpeirce|talk]]) 19:15, 12 November 2014 (UTC)
Keep uploading the images under the current naming convention, guys, I'll do a batch move to "landing[X]" later when things die down a little. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 11:02, 12 November 2014 (UTC)
:: Check out [http://xkcd1446.org/list.json http://xkcd1446.org/list.json]. E.g. [http://xkcd1446.org/img/r_11-30-00_DEpbhsl54D.png http://xkcd1446.org/img/r_11-30-00_DEpbhsl54D.png]. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.105.189|141.101.105.189]] 11:54, 12 November 2014 (UTC)

Shouldn't we write up the changing "Time until landing: [x] hours" top text in the transcripts as well? [[User:Phantom|Phantom]] ([[User talk:Phantom|talk]]) 12:39, 12 November 2014 (UTC)

Oh no, not again! [[Special:Contributions/141.101.93.206|Petunia]] 12:45, 12 November 2014 (UTC)
:What? What's happening? -- [[User:Bowl|Bowl]] ([[User talk:Bowl|talk]]) 19:20, 12 November 2014 (UTC)

In the transcript, added or changed text should be in '''bold''' for easy reading? also, [http://xkcd1446.org/static.html this] format reads a lot easier then the transcript. - sir KitKat - [[Special:Contributions/141.101.64.137|141.101.64.137]] 12:57, 12 November 2014 (UTC)
:I think so. After adding 'Status Report' it's even harder to read it. [[User:Graphene|Graphene]] ([[User talk:Graphene|talk]]) 13:01, 12 November 2014 (UTC)
:I'm not sure... the purpose of the transcript is not to make it easier for those too lazy to compare the images and find what changed between them, but just to represent what the images contain for those that can not see them... preferably as accurately as possible, i.e. with the original formatting. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.93.206|141.101.93.206]] 13:10, 12 November 2014 (UTC)
:: I'd agree with the transcript not containing formatting that changes - especially since that formatting may confuse (or be confused with) the formatting used for emphasis in the comic itself - perhaps we could have a separated "changes" version of the transcript on another page? -- [[User:Brettpeirce|Brettpeirce]] ([[User talk:Brettpeirce|talk]]) 17:34, 12 November 2014 (UTC)
:Maybe the transcript should move to a subpage to avoid clutter? And can we add a section for the lazy people to follow the changes without going through every image? [[User:SirKitKat|SirKitKat]] ([[User talk:SirKitKat|talk]]) 15:18, 12 November 2014 (UTC)
:By the way, the '''bold''' changed stuff helped me notice some subtle changes :) [[User:SirKitKat|SirKitKat]] ([[User talk:SirKitKat|talk]]) 15:27, 12 November 2014 (UTC)

Did anyone notice that not all whales disappeared at 13:30? One is hidden behind the mountains in the background with a "? ->" pointing at it. I wonder if this should be included in the transcript... [[Special:Contributions/141.101.105.212|141.101.105.212]] 14:28, 12 November 2014 (UTC)
:It should be in a transcript. I missed it while editing. My apologies for that. [[User:Graphene|Graphene]] ([[User talk:Graphene|talk]]) 15:28, 12 November 2014 (UTC)

I did just notice that clicking on the image now takes you to http://xkcd1446.org/.
[[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.4|141.101.104.4]] 16:23, 12 November 2014 (UTC)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Most image URLs:
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_00-00-00_8MxxPSiNYx.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_00-05-00_KsvXIwq84J.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_00-10-00_fUWUYNkxwp.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_00-15-00_74eSd3x7BQ.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_00-20-00_UT4FKycrmC.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_00-25-00_FX6hlfSQHR.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_00-30-00_FjnXADopvO.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_00-35-00_lVC98SMY1X.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_00-40-00_wmf0bPtxDN.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_00-45-00_MZprhbADHL.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_00-50-00_Z63bWhoaxd.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_00-55-00_2wCeCFN0R1.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_01-00-00_FRnIhqA5IZ.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_01-05-00_Os6SVGalch.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_01-10-00_xn4nUL9lry.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_01-15-00_soIuPGfUYh.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_01-20-00_jwkPNMaOSf.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_01-25-00_ADajYkIBoR.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_01-30-00_w819mZAIhE.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_01-35-00_LoEc4Q8fJF.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_01-40-00_YLKE5WV8Jw.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_01-45-00_QRP5ndlY4A.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_01-50-00_OAOxgR9UUR.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_01-55-00_KGFuQYeX1i.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_02-00-00_ov37tpe8BX.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_02-05-00_VwL8mLbfmW.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_02-10-00_GCNRyInxWI.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_02-15-00_CQwEg4oyk3.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_02-20-00_jkbJbYkLeP.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_02-25-00_Pxh3HKgWnT.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_02-30-00_eq1OJ5Y7DE.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_02-35-00_xgc7Exg8xh.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_02-40-00_XqySBX8Pjp.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_02-45-00_pO0FdW8EUU.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_02-50-00_Lk8WtAcDCd.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_02-55-00_XEGyO5rijO.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_03-00-00_JwVK8q3HKt.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_03-05-00_1Qc2XuFNlD.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_03-10-00_bTGPRMJ42D.png
|-
!Missing 03:15
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_03-20-00_I337xnUZMi.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_03-25-00_TwWuDe1LFM.png
|-
!Missing 03:30
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_03-35-00_OUONNRwSZC.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_03-40-00_oprku4Qb8G.png
|-
!Missing 03:45
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_03-50-00_VhWzeSXfiF.png
|-
!Missing 03:55
|-
!Missing 04:00
|-
!Missing 04:05
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_04-10-00_GFIr1zPjmc.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_04-15-00_DeN1NSG0cv.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_04-20-00_FyWclt5aB6.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_04-25-00_DO12bvpult.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_04-30-00_NtlLenh317.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_04-35-00_QmMpOZdHYt.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_04-40-00_bYKqXlkedR.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_04-45-00_VjLjDl41Qg.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_04-50-00_ApDIAe95YT.png
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|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_10-00-00_qaqUchjpwN.png
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!Missing 10:05
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|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_10-10-00_Z9fvGtSswb.png
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|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_13-10-00_A35vGK0gcl.png
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|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_13-35-00_lKRvWmmsQf.png
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|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_13-40-00_hosYx1GJRJ.png
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|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_13-55-00_WiDmobbRsc.png
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|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_14-00-00_RRWXIvodjR.png
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|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_14-05-00_im6IKZPIvm.png
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|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_14-10-00_mrdX5GJO6m.png
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|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_14-15-00_eBi1BWysok.png
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|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_14-20-00_dvLl2Jq0LR.png
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|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_14-25-00_hqJbajkWjo.png
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|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_14-30-00_vNzAJBXeIH.png
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|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_14-35-00_NXvSaSVFCt.png
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|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_14-40-00_H1eq8rx3ft.png
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|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_14-45-00_HkURV0imqH.png
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|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_14-50-00_PNeLdTV2rg.png
|-
!Missing 14:55
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|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_15-00-00_K4sSvto7gW.png
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!Missing 15:05
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|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_15-10-00_4bNdqGYklk.png
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|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_15-15-00_h5wbb6byZh.png
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|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_15-20-00_JWDUJvUT2O.png
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|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_15-25-00_QQZZrjzRfR.png
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|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_15-30-00_n3FmVbsd8O.png
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|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_15-35-00_HN9pEceSNq.png
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|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_15-40-00_t5MhSYQ6UE.png
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|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_15-45-00_00sn21iRyi.png
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|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_15-50-00_cFks3Ycc7A.png
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|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_15-55-00_fbGux9Rqtg.png
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|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_16-00-00_rmyLlIdOnH.png
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|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_16-05-00_5tOXgmw34m.png
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|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_16-10-00_PcWHdMRG9W.png
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|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_16-15-00_LNTu3py0Zu.png
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|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_16-20-00_5kNwJ7gpN2.png
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|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_16-25-00_MZ7aAUNWN5.png
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|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_16-30-00_yzSUwWrLR7.png
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|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_16-35-00_AvjxRtJO4G.png
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|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_16-40-00_NfbEBFUw0W.png
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|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_16-45-00_oAhSqIi56i.png
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|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_16-50-00_XPPONIRJaJ.png
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|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_17-00-00_asLLfEVzOA.png
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|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_17-05-00_FagcS2rsZm.png
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|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_17-10-00_jxclbog8sI.png
|}

Where is Randall getting his info? His news is the most current I can find - anyone have a good link to up-to-the-minute status reporting like Randall is providing, preferably with more detail? --[[User:Nipchee|Nipchee]] ([[User talk:Nipchee|talk]]) 18:08, 12 November 2014 (UTC)

:Nipchee: This seems to be very up-to-date: http://www.theguardian.com/science/across-the-universe/live/2014/nov/12/rosetta-comet-landing-live-blog [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.150|108.162.219.150]] 18:11, 12 November 2014 (UTC)

::This one is pretty good: https://newscientist.creatavist.com/rosetta#chapter-132425 (scroll to bottom)
::Also, here is the list of feeds from ESA: http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Operations/Live_updates_Rosetta_mission_comet_landing [[User:GreenWyvern|GreenWyvern]] ([[User talk:GreenWyvern|talk]]) 18:26, 12 November 2014 (UTC)
::I could imagine that, combining his influence as a web celebrity and connections he's maintained since working with NASA, he might be able to get a few extra details before everyone else (?) -- [[User:Brettpeirce|Brettpeirce]] ([[User talk:Brettpeirce|talk]]) 19:06, 12 November 2014 (UTC)

On a related note - what exactly is the distinction between "impact" and "landing" other than the perhaps intent? Is the result factored in as well? Where is the threshold between the two? -- [[User:Brettpeirce|Brettpeirce]] ([[User talk:Brettpeirce|talk]]) 19:10, 12 November 2014 (UTC)

I'd say it's more to do with the level of control. An impact is when an object forcibly hits something else, a landing is when it's directed and doesn't result in 10 years of wasted effort and money. --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.15|141.101.104.15]] 20:27, 12 November 2014 (UTC)

Okay, looks like the comic is done, unless he picks it up again after radio contact resumes. -- [[User:Frankie|Frankie]] ([[User talk:Frankie|talk]]) 21:35, 12 November 2014 (UTC)

p.s. The vertical sprawl here (particularly in the Frame by Frame section) is really ugly. It should be subdivided and/or columnized like in [[1190: Time]].

Did anyone notice 16-05 and 16-10 are missing from xkcd1446.org? Saibot84 21:41, 12 November 2014 (UTC)

Why does it jump from 55 minutes to 75 minutes at image #33? [[User:Keavon|Keavon]] ([[User talk:Keavon|talk]]) 22:50, 12 November 2014 (UTC)

Talk:29: Hitler

2014-11-10T00:13:48Z

Keavon:

I was born in the sixties of the last century, just into a new Germany. I can joke about Hitler, but sentences should be correct. An awful history which still does happen nowadays.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:46, 23 June 2013 (UTC)

Black Hat doesn't know what he's talking about. Hitler is actually a good artist. --[[User:ITErsoy|ITErsoy]] ([[User talk:ITErsoy|talk]]) 01:31, 10 January 2014 (UTC)

His art had no soul. They were in essence, forgeries of art that hasn't been done. The painting looks fine, but there's no depth. Take it from me, I'm an art student. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.122|141.101.99.122]] 11:06, 29 September 2014 (UTC)

I feel uneasy with saying most of them were jews. Most of those killed where men, and more likely, german men. Hitler lead an aliance with Mussolini (Italy), the Croats (who massacred the serbs in methods that disgusted even the german concentration camp leaders) and others. I think you should make it clear it was *Naszi* Germany. I think you should link to the wikipedia page on the holocaust, Nazis, and Hitler, because the explanation made here can be taken as oversimplified/childish. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.122|141.101.99.122]] 11:06, 29 September 2014 (UTC)

I just googled Hiter's paintings and he was actually a very good artist! [[User:Keavon|Keavon]] ([[User talk:Keavon|talk]]) 00:13, 10 November 2014 (UTC)

Talk:1057: Klout

2014-11-10T00:02:21Z

Keavon:

Klout is looong dead now. I suppose this means it's niche and hipster, and it's fine to use it now. '''[[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 13:53, 8 January 2013 (UTC)
:its not dead... just not really as trendy anymore.--[[User:Calvsie|Calvsie]] ([[User talk:Calvsie|talk]]) 21:01, 12 December 2013 (UTC)

Any possible meaning in the fact that "clout" can mean a blow from a hand? I think it might be related, considering the site is called Klout and Randall requests being clouted, in a manner of speaking... {{unsigned ip|173.245.54.209}}

Replace "Klout" with "Google+" for modern relevance. [[User:Keavon|Keavon]] ([[User talk:Keavon|talk]]) 00:02, 10 November 2014 (UTC)

Talk:1057: Klout

2014-11-10T00:02:02Z

Keavon:

Klout is looong dead now. I suppose this means it's niche and hipster, and it's fine to use it now. '''[[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 13:53, 8 January 2013 (UTC)
:its not dead... just not really as trendy anymore.--[[User:Calvsie|Calvsie]] ([[User talk:Calvsie|talk]]) 21:01, 12 December 2013 (UTC)

Any possible meaning in the fact that "clout" can mean a blow from a hand? I think it might be related, considering the site is called Klout and Randall requests being clouted, in a manner of speaking... {{unsigned ip|173.245.54.209}}

Replace "Klout" with "Google+" for modern relevance.[[User:Keavon|Keavon]] ([[User talk:Keavon|talk]]) 00:02, 10 November 2014 (UTC)

Talk:1412: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

2014-08-25T05:03:39Z

Keavon:

Looks like they renamed the Wikipedia article mentioned as "Maple Syrup Urine '''Syndrome'''" to [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maple_syrup_urine_disease Maple Syrup Urine '''Disease'''].[[User:Keavon|Keavon]] ([[User talk:Keavon|talk]]) 05:03, 25 August 2014 (UTC)

Talk:1412: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

2014-08-25T05:03:03Z

Keavon: Created page with "Looks like they renamed the Wikipedia article mentioned as "Maple syrup urine syndrome" to [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maple_syrup_urine_disease Maple Syrup Urine Disease]...."

Looks like they renamed the Wikipedia article mentioned as "Maple syrup urine syndrome" to [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maple_syrup_urine_disease Maple Syrup Urine Disease].[[User:Keavon|Keavon]] ([[User talk:Keavon|talk]]) 05:03, 25 August 2014 (UTC)

Talk:1401: New

2014-07-30T05:14:38Z

Keavon:

Why are there three ''n'''s in ''headcannnon'' in the title text?
[[User:Keavon|Keavon]] ([[User talk:Keavon|talk]])

Talk:1401: New

2014-07-30T05:14:26Z

Keavon:

Why are there three ''n''s in ''headcannnon'' in the title text?
[[User:Keavon|Keavon]] ([[User talk:Keavon|talk]])

Talk:1401: New

2014-07-30T05:14:10Z

Keavon: Created page with "Why are there three ''n''s in ''headcannnon'' in the title text?~~~"

Why are there three ''n''s in ''headcannnon'' in the title text?[[User:Keavon|Keavon]] ([[User talk:Keavon|talk]])

Talk:1237: QR Code

2013-07-14T05:37:09Z

Keavon:

It might be a pun on '''Quick Response''' Code --[[Special:Contributions/109.91.114.82|109.91.114.82]] 10:25, 12 July 2013 (UTC)
: It's not a pun, it's a widely used abbreviation [[User:Hippyjim|Hippyjim]] ([[User talk:Hippyjim|talk]]) 11:25, 12 July 2013 (UTC)
:: I meant that needing to scan it in 12 seconds might be a pun on "Quick Response". --[[Special:Contributions/93.232.203.46|93.232.203.46]] 14:11, 12 July 2013 (UTC)
The only real way would be to screenshot, print, and scan... possible in about 30 seconds. Anyone want to run a time trial?--[[Special:Contributions/69.140.11.243|69.140.11.243]] 11:05, 12 July 2013 (UTC)
: No it's possible. With the right Emacs command and a Delorean [[User:Hippyjim|Hippyjim]] ([[User talk:Hippyjim|talk]]) 11:25, 12 July 2013 (UTC)

:What about simply using other phone or camera to make a photo and display it on its display for the camera of this phone? BTW, why are the phones so stupid they can't display two applications at once? -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 11:30, 12 July 2013 (UTC)

You can take a screenshot of your screen (at least in Android) and then read the image with your qr-reading-program. Then it'll display the decoded QR-code, and you'll type it in the app. [[Special:Contributions/189.125.162.182|189.125.162.182]] 14:00, 12 July 2013 (UTC)
:The title text says that additionally the checksum of the camera is checked. So no trick with screenshots would be possible. However I don't see a problem with second camera which displays the photo (as suggested above). --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 14:05, 12 July 2013 (UTC)

I think that most phones and computers are kind of shoddily programmed, like the developers never take enough time to think of conveniences or solve problems. For example, I should be able to scan QRCs that are on my own screen. [[Special:Contributions/24.98.10.180|24.98.10.180]] 17:29, 12 July 2013 (UTC)
:That's a great idea! Shouldn't a browser be able to interpret them and just make it clickable, like a link? Seems straightforward. --[[User:DanB|DanB]] ([[User talk:DanB|talk]]) 12:32, 13 July 2013 (UTC)
::It's not that easy, an image is just an image. We would need a tag like <barcode-image>, maybe available at HTML 6.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 13:36, 13 July 2013 (UTC)
::Putting a QR Code on a webpage wouldn't make sense in the first place, unless it is intended to be read by smart phones. But I don't think it would be very hard to implement. Just pass every image on a webpage to a QR decoder (which of course also detects if something is a valid QR code). --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 14:16, 13 July 2013 (UTC)

What about using mirrors? That'd be doable. [[Special:Contributions/88.200.105.99|88.200.105.99]] 12:53, 13 July 2013 (UTC)

I've actually needed to do this once. I was browsing the web on my phone and it only displayed a QR code to download an app I needed. I wondered what the least number of mirrors required would be to achieve this. Assuming it doesn't read inverse images, it would be necessary to flip it on both axes. [[User:Keavon|Keavon]] ([[User talk:Keavon|talk]]) 05:36, 14 July 2013 (UTC)

== Link at Transcript ==

I think the link should be shown at "Explanation". I can't see it at the original comic, so "Transcript" is the wrong section.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 17:11, 12 July 2013 (UTC)
:OK, understood. I just did not try to read that QR code. But the link is still not correct at "Transcript", you have to do some actions to figure out and so it still belongs to "Explanation".--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:13, 12 July 2013 (UTC)

== Real-life use for something like this ==

Before I saw the title text, I thought the scenario involved scanning one device's display on another device to set up a key exchange between applications on the two devices, sort of like a [http://bu.mp/ Bump]. --[[User:Tepples|Tepples]] ([[User talk:Tepples|talk]]) 00:35, 13 July 2013 (UTC)

Talk:1237: QR Code

2013-07-14T05:36:21Z

Keavon:

It might be a pun on '''Quick Response''' Code --[[Special:Contributions/109.91.114.82|109.91.114.82]] 10:25, 12 July 2013 (UTC)
: It's not a pun, it's a widely used abbreviation [[User:Hippyjim|Hippyjim]] ([[User talk:Hippyjim|talk]]) 11:25, 12 July 2013 (UTC)
:: I meant that needing to scan it in 12 seconds might be a pun on "Quick Response". --[[Special:Contributions/93.232.203.46|93.232.203.46]] 14:11, 12 July 2013 (UTC)
The only real way would be to screenshot, print, and scan... possible in about 30 seconds. Anyone want to run a time trial?--[[Special:Contributions/69.140.11.243|69.140.11.243]] 11:05, 12 July 2013 (UTC)
: No it's possible. With the right Emacs command and a Delorean [[User:Hippyjim|Hippyjim]] ([[User talk:Hippyjim|talk]]) 11:25, 12 July 2013 (UTC)

:What about simply using other phone or camera to make a photo and display it on its display for the camera of this phone? BTW, why are the phones so stupid they can't display two applications at once? -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 11:30, 12 July 2013 (UTC)

You can take a screenshot of your screen (at least in Android) and then read the image with your qr-reading-program. Then it'll display the decoded QR-code, and you'll type it in the app. [[Special:Contributions/189.125.162.182|189.125.162.182]] 14:00, 12 July 2013 (UTC)
:The title text says that additionally the checksum of the camera is checked. So no trick with screenshots would be possible. However I don't see a problem with second camera which displays the photo (as suggested above). --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 14:05, 12 July 2013 (UTC)

I think that most phones and computers are kind of shoddily programmed, like the developers never take enough time to think of conveniences or solve problems. For example, I should be able to scan QRCs that are on my own screen. [[Special:Contributions/24.98.10.180|24.98.10.180]] 17:29, 12 July 2013 (UTC)
:That's a great idea! Shouldn't a browser be able to interpret them and just make it clickable, like a link? Seems straightforward. --[[User:DanB|DanB]] ([[User talk:DanB|talk]]) 12:32, 13 July 2013 (UTC)
::It's not that easy, an image is just an image. We would need a tag like <barcode-image>, maybe available at HTML 6.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 13:36, 13 July 2013 (UTC)
::Putting a QR Code on a webpage wouldn't make sense in the first place, unless it is intended to be read by smart phones. But I don't think it would be very hard to implement. Just pass every image on a webpage to a QR decoder (which of course also detects if something is a valid QR code). --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 14:16, 13 July 2013 (UTC)

What about using mirrors? That'd be doable. [[Special:Contributions/88.200.105.99|88.200.105.99]] 12:53, 13 July 2013 (UTC)

I've actually needed to do this once. I was browsing the web on my phone and it displayed a QR code to download an app I needed. I wondered what the least number of mirrors required would be to achieve this. Assuming it doesn't read inverse images, it would be necessary to flip it on both axes. [[User:Keavon|Keavon]] ([[User talk:Keavon|talk]]) 05:36, 14 July 2013 (UTC)

== Link at Transcript ==

I think the link should be shown at "Explanation". I can't see it at the original comic, so "Transcript" is the wrong section.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 17:11, 12 July 2013 (UTC)
:OK, understood. I just did not try to read that QR code. But the link is still not correct at "Transcript", you have to do some actions to figure out and so it still belongs to "Explanation".--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:13, 12 July 2013 (UTC)

== Real-life use for something like this ==

Before I saw the title text, I thought the scenario involved scanning one device's display on another device to set up a key exchange between applications on the two devices, sort of like a [http://bu.mp/ Bump]. --[[User:Tepples|Tepples]] ([[User talk:Tepples|talk]]) 00:35, 13 July 2013 (UTC)