Editing 2863: Space Typography
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==Explanation== | ==Explanation== | ||
− | + | {{incomplete|Created by an OPTIMISTIC ALIEN OVER THEEEE[...]EEEERE IN... NEPTUNE - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}} | |
+ | Randall has created a sentence with the property that, when printed in {{w|Times New Roman}} font, the distances of the "i" letters from the first letter are proportional to the radii of the orbits of the innermost 5 planets in the {{w|Solar System}}. These are the only letters in the sentence that have a dot over the letter (there are no "j"s in the sentence). He suggests that if you get lost traveling among these planets, you can use the dots as a map. | ||
− | + | This won't actually be a very useful map. When traveling between planets, it's not enough to know where the planet's orbit is, you also need to know where it is along the orbit. | |
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− | This won't actually be a very useful map. When traveling between planets, it's not enough to know where the planet's orbit is, you also need to know where it is along the orbit | ||
The sentence is self-referential, since it talks about using typography to measure distances in space, and this makes it a useful mnemonic. The "optimistic" in the sentence could indicate that the aliens in question are highly optimistic that this kind of "map" would be useful for navigating a star system where planets orbit in ellipses, rather than being in static positions along a line (as is so often depicted in line-ups of the Solar System's planets). | The sentence is self-referential, since it talks about using typography to measure distances in space, and this makes it a useful mnemonic. The "optimistic" in the sentence could indicate that the aliens in question are highly optimistic that this kind of "map" would be useful for navigating a star system where planets orbit in ellipses, rather than being in static positions along a line (as is so often depicted in line-ups of the Solar System's planets). | ||
− | The title text appends the sentence with a section for identifying Saturn. | + | The title text appends the sentence with a section for identifying Saturn. After an indeterminately long "Heeeeeere," Saturn is indicated, in the form of the dot in the i in "is." The same construct could be used to continue out to any planet or other body which does not contain the letter 'i' -- which is all of the remaining planets and minor planets, with the exception of Eris. However, the strings of 'e's would get longer and longer, to the point that it might be necessary to write down how many of them are to be used — about 59 'e's for Saturn — which might as well just be replaced with a table of orbital ephemerides. |
− | + | ==Accuracy== | |
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Measuring the distances based on the provided image results in these approximate distances: | Measuring the distances based on the provided image results in these approximate distances: | ||
{| class="wikitable" style="margin:auto" | {| class="wikitable" style="margin:auto" | ||
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− | ! Planet | + | ! Planet !! Relative Distance in Comic !! Actual Distance in AU<ref>https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/edu/pdfs/scaless_reference.pdf</ref> |
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− | | Mercury | + | | Mercury || 0.39 || 0.39 |
|- | |- | ||
− | | Venus | + | | Venus || 0.71 || 0.72 |
|- | |- | ||
− | | Earth | + | | Earth || 1 || 1 |
|- | |- | ||
− | | Mars | + | | Mars || 1.52 || 1.52 |
|- | |- | ||
− | | Jupiter | + | | Jupiter || 5.18 || 5.2 |
|} | |} | ||
− | + | The picture also contains a standard-representation of Times New Roman, with no changes to kerning or tracking. | |
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− | The picture also contains a standard representation of Times New Roman, with no changes to kerning or tracking. | ||
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==Transcript== | ==Transcript== | ||
− | :[A grayed-out sentence | + | {{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}} |
+ | :[A grayed-out sentence reads "Optimistic aliens measure space typographically". The "O" in "Optimistic" is dark black and indicated as representing the Sun (not to scale). The dots of the letters "i" in the sentence are similarly dark black. The dot in the first "i" in "Optimistic" is indicated as representing Mercury; the dot in the second "i" represents Venus; the dot in the third "i" represents Earth. The dot in the "i" in "aliens" is indicated as representing Mars. The dot in the "i" in "typographically" is indicated as representing Jupiter. A measurement bar indicates that the distance between the "O" and the third "i" in "Optimistic" is equivalent to 1 AU (astronomical unit).] | ||
:[Caption below the panel:] | :[Caption below the panel:] | ||
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:Space tip: if you're ever lost in the inner Solar System, you can just type out the phrase "Optimistic aliens measure space typographically" in Times New Roman and use the dots as a map. | :Space tip: if you're ever lost in the inner Solar System, you can just type out the phrase "Optimistic aliens measure space typographically" in Times New Roman and use the dots as a map. | ||