1830: ISS Solar Transit 2

Explain xkcd: It's 'cause you're dumb.
Revision as of 08:40, 28 April 2017 by 141.101.107.150 (talk) (Explanation)
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ISS Solar Transit 2
Most people don't realize it, but they actually launch a new space station every few weeks because this keeps happening.
Title text: Most people don't realize it, but they actually launch a new space station every few weeks because this keeps happening.

Explanation

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If you can address this issue, please edit the page! Thanks.

This comic is a continuation to 1828: ISS Solar Transit, where Cueball is trying to capture the transit of International Space Station across the Sun. However, instead of transiting across the face of the sun, the ISS crashes into the Sun.

In reality, of course, this can never happen, because the ISS orbits Earth at an altitude of between 330 and 435 km, while the Earth orbits the Sun at an altitude of about 149.60 million kilometers or 1 astronomical unit. This means the minimum distance between the ISS and the Sun is only slightly less than 1 AU.

The title text plays on this saying that a new space station is being launched every week as the old one gets destroyed by crashing into the Sun. This is clearly implausible, as the costs (of lives and money) would be astronomical[citation needed].

Transcript

Ambox notice.png This transcript is incomplete. Please help editing it! Thanks.
[Every panel is split into two half height panels above each other.]
[The top panel shows an image of an orange sun on a black background with a dot marked ISS in a cross-hair and a trail.]
[In the bottom panel Cueball is kneeling in front of a small platform while operating a camera with a very long objective while holding a smartphone. The camera is angled sharply upward toward the sky as it is attached to a tripod standing on the platform.]
Cueball: Perfect! Transit in three... two...
[The dot marked as ISS moves closer to the sun]
Cueball: ...one...
[The dot plunges into the sun]
FWOOSH

Trivia

The ISS travels across the face of the sun in 0.47 seconds (calculation). If we assume that Cueball is counting seconds, then the depicted speed of the ISS between panels 1 and 2 is too slow.


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Discussion

Gees Randal, that's actually really dark.

Attempted explaining. It is not real, ... I hope {{108.162.229.250 05:03, 28 April 2017 (UTC)}}

costs would be astronomical. I see what you did there and I approve. 162.158.92.118 07:23, 28 April 2017 (UTC)

astronomical, good joke 141.101.105.216 09:35, 28 April 2017 (UTC)
+1 Elektrizikekswerk (talk) 11:28, 28 April 2017 (UTC)
Yeah, I was amused by that too. But looks like someone removed it. 162.158.154.109 17:06, 28 April 2017 (UTC)

Have to disagree on the Pink Floyd joke. I don't see it. Xseo (talk) 11:43, 28 April 2017 (UTC)

The diameter of the sun is 864,575.9 mi. In the first panel the ISS is about that far away. Second panel is about halfway, so 432,287.95 miles. According to Popular Science, the ISS could probably make it to just over a million miles away before burning up (seeing as how the shuttle could make it ~1.3 million and I think the ISS has more protection), the "fwoosh" should be in the first panel. And in any matter, the sound effect should be a "sploosh" sound with the splashing visuals. OldCorps (talk) 13:22, 28 April 2017 (UTC)

If the impact were to really happen as shown, then one of two things must be true, either: 1) The ISS is really really large (eyeballing it as about 4x the size of the Earth vs. the size of the Sun as shown) or 2) The Sun is really smaller than we think and as close as the ISS's orbit. In either case, the ISS would be likely to survive entry into the Sun's surface. If the former is true, this also makes replacing it twice a month all the more impressive. Go NASA!.Harodotus (talk) 16:48, 28 April 2017 (UTC)

Obviously, the Sun is really smaller and as close as the ISS's orbit and it orbits Earth which is flat and in the center of Universe as Bible says. What else would you expect from the conspiracy theory? -- Hkmaly (talk) 22:12, 28 April 2017 (UTC)

Anyone want to try explaining limb darkening (as drawn in the comic)? 198.41.238.40 18:28, 28 April 2017 (UTC)

Is there a reason Randall has done two IIS Solar Transit comics this week? Are these transits rare and one is happening around now or something? --Pascal (talk) 01:14, 29 April 2017 (UTC)

Please recalculate the speed of ISS with an orbital distance of 1 AU. Then the fwoosh could be realistic to be in the third panel and to be as large as depicted? Sebastian --172.68.110.82 07:26, 29 April 2017 (UTC)

This explanation spends an awful lot of time telling how the comic is unrealistic, and not as much time actually EXPLAINING the comic's humor. 108.162.238.77 17:15, 29 April 2017 (UTC)

Maybe we should put the astronomical joke back? It's not too bad. <162.158.46.46 08:46, 29 April 2017 (UTC)>