Editing 3103: Exoplanet System

{{comic
| number    = 3103
| date      = June 16, 2025
| title     = Exoplanet System
| image     = exoplanet_system_2x.png
| imagesize = 623x447px
| noexpand  = true
| titletext = Sure, this exoplanet we discovered may seem hostile to life, but our calculations suggest it's actually in the accretion disc's habitable zone.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Explanations for the planets are missing. [[explain xkcd:Editor FAQ#table|Do NOT create a table]], unless it is impossible to convey that information without it.}}
Exoplanets are planets outside the Solar System. Astronomers are constantly on the look for planets that have Earth-like conditions, especially Earth-like planets that might support life. Unfortunately for many hopefuls, the conditions that made Earth suitable for life are believed to be extremely rare. Randall draws a hypothetical star system containing many exoplanets that describe (in an exaggerated fashion) the many frustrations astronomers face when analyzing planets and getting their hopes up only to discover the planets they found are sadly nothing like Earth.

Here are the explanations for each planet, in order of how far they are from the star:


# <!-- 50px-->'''Giant planet orbiting so close that it's actually rolling on the star's surface'''
#: Giant planets are often gravitationally pulled close to their star. Here, the planet is literally touching the star, which, given both bodies' gaseous makeup, should cause them to merge.
# <!-- 80px-->'''Hot Jupiter'''
#: As above, a giant planet orbiting close to its star.
# <!--115px-->'''Planet that may actually be in the habitable zone, according to a very optimistic modeling paper by some desperate postdocs'''
#: The habitable zone of a star is the range at which water is liquid. Notably, planets in the habitable zone are seen as options for colonization by humanity, which would mean greater funding for research. As such, researchers will go to great lengths to determine as many habitable planets as they can.
# <!--175px-->'''There's a pulsar here but it's probably fine'''
# <!--250px-->'''A waterworld paradise with beautiful oceans and warm&mdash; wait, no, we just got new measurements, it's a hellish steam oven'''
# <!--280px-->'''Planet that could be habitable, if there's a form of life that hates water but loves acid and being on fire'''
# <!--300px-->'''Mini Neptune'''
# <!--345px-->'''Lukewarm Jupiter'''
# <!--375px-->'''Planet whose atmosphere is confirmed to contain atoms'''
#: With interstellar distances, it is inevitable that some planets will be hard to get a read on. Here the astronomers can only confirm the planet has an atmosphere, not what it is made of or how thick it is.
# <!--400px-->'''Earthlike data artifact'''
# <!--455px-->'''Cold Jupiter'''
# <!--460px-->'''Potentially habitable void'''
# <!--485px-->'''Hot Mars'''
# <!--510px-->'''Faint dust cloud that will cause several papers to be retracted'''
#: This could refer to either Fomalhaut b, aformer proposed exoplanet that turned out to be a dust cloud, or Tabby's Star, a star with odd irregular dimming pattern likely due to a dust cloud which was briefly thought by some to be an alien megastructure.{{acn}}
# <!--515px-->'''Either a gas giant or a fist-sized rock, depending upon which calibration method you use'''
# <!--560px-->'''Mini Pluto'''
# <!--620px-->'''Wet Saturn'''
# <!--745px-->'''Planet whose surface may host conditions suitable for rocks'''
#: As with planet number 8, this planet is too difficult to get a read on, and the measurements are still so vague it's still unknown if this planet is a rocky planet or a gas/ice giant.
# <!--840px-->'''Somehow this whole system is smaller than the orbit of Mercury?!'''
; Title text
: The title text mentions a planet within an accretion disk, which means that the planet is in the orbit of a black hole and will inevitably fall in. Nevertheless, the researcher speaking assures that the planet is in the disk's habitable zone, implying it is a worthwhile option for colonization.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>