Editing 1878: Earth Orbital Diagram
Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.
The edit can be undone.
Please check the comparison below to verify that this is what you want to do, and then save the changes below to finish undoing the edit.
| Latest revision | Your text | ||
| Line 8: | Line 8: | ||
==Explanation== | ==Explanation== | ||
| + | {{incomplete|Created by a BOT - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}} | ||
| + | This comic is the third consecutive comic published in the week before the {{w|solar eclipse}} occurring on Monday, {{w|Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017|August 21, 2017}} which is a total solar eclipse and visible in totality within a band across the {{w|contiguous United States}} from west to east. The other comics are [[1876: Eclipse Searches]] and [[1877: Eclipse Science]]. | ||
| − | + | The comic claims that the reason that eclipses don't happen every month is simple to understand by looking at an orbital diagram. Ironically, the cartoon has so many parts and labels that it is far more difficult to understand than is implied. While the graph itself is based on {{w|Orbital elements|astronomical definitions}}, all the labels are nonsense in this context. In effect, the comic is a parody of a common joke in which a person asks a scientist a question, the scientist begins by saying "It's really quite simple", then proceeds to give a very lengthy and highly technical explanation that non-scientists would not be expected to understand. | |
| − | |||
| − | The comic claims that the reason that eclipses don't happen every month is simple to understand by looking at an orbital diagram. Ironically, the cartoon has so many parts and labels that it is far more difficult to understand than is implied. While the graph itself is based on {{w|Orbital elements|astronomical definitions}}, all the labels are nonsense in this context. In effect, the comic is a | ||
All of the labels in the diagram are complicated words or phrases. Some are related to orbital mechanics (e.g. "equinox" and "perihelion"), while others are wholly unrelated or even made up. Each label is nonsensical in its place in the diagram. Compare/contrast with the standard {{w|Kepler orbit|Kepler Orbit}} diagram. | All of the labels in the diagram are complicated words or phrases. Some are related to orbital mechanics (e.g. "equinox" and "perihelion"), while others are wholly unrelated or even made up. Each label is nonsensical in its place in the diagram. Compare/contrast with the standard {{w|Kepler orbit|Kepler Orbit}} diagram. | ||
| Line 18: | Line 18: | ||
===Labels and Their Astronomical Meanings=== | ===Labels and Their Astronomical Meanings=== | ||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
;Arctangent | ;Arctangent | ||
| Line 54: | Line 24: | ||
;Astral plane | ;Astral plane | ||
| − | *The {{w|Astral plane}} is a plane of existence in various esoteric theories. It features prominently in | + | *The {{w|Astral plane}} is a plane of existence in various esoteric theories. It features prominently in Dungeons and Dragons cosmology, connecting the various other planes of existence. |
*The picture shows the {{w|Orbit_of_the_Moon|lunar orbital plane}}, the plane in which the Moon orbits the Earth, tilted about 5.1 degrees from the ecliptic. | *The picture shows the {{w|Orbit_of_the_Moon|lunar orbital plane}}, the plane in which the Moon orbits the Earth, tilted about 5.1 degrees from the ecliptic. | ||
;Declension | ;Declension | ||
| − | *{{w|Declension}} is the inflection of nouns in a language | + | *{{w|Declension}} is the inflection of nouns in a language. |
*In astronomy, the {{w|Declination|declination}} is one of the two angles that locate a point on the celestial sphere in the equatorial coordinate system. It is measured north or south of the celestial equator, like the geographical latitude on Earth. But in the picture the label is at the angle for the axial tilt of the Earth. | *In astronomy, the {{w|Declination|declination}} is one of the two angles that locate a point on the celestial sphere in the equatorial coordinate system. It is measured north or south of the celestial equator, like the geographical latitude on Earth. But in the picture the label is at the angle for the axial tilt of the Earth. | ||
| − | |||
;Determinant of the date of Easter | ;Determinant of the date of Easter | ||
| − | *In Western Christianity {{w|Easter}} always falls on the first Sunday after the first ecclesiastical full moon after the beginning of spring (equinox). The ecclesiastical full moon is determined by a calendar that approximates the actual time of the full moon, Thus the date of easter is defined by a combination of a solar and a | + | *In Western Christianity {{w|Easter}} always falls on the first Sunday after the first ecclesiastical full moon after the beginning of spring (equinox). The ecclesiastical full moon is determined by a calendar that approximates the actual time of the full moon, Thus the date of easter is defined by a combination of a solar and a moon calendar. The position of that angle isn't that bad but it should be not more than 30 degrees (slightly more than one month.) |
*In mathematics, the determinant is a function of numerical matrices. In this context, however, it apparently refers to something that directly determines the date of Easter. | *In mathematics, the determinant is a function of numerical matrices. In this context, however, it apparently refers to something that directly determines the date of Easter. | ||
| Line 71: | Line 40: | ||
;Enceliopsis | ;Enceliopsis | ||
| − | * | + | *{{w|Enceliopsis}} are small genus of flowering plants in the daisy family, appropriately known as "sunrays". |
| − | * | + | *In astronomy this point has also no specific meaning. But {{w|Enceladus}} is a moon around {{w|Saturn}}. |
| − | |||
| − | |||
;Equinox / Solstice | ;Equinox / Solstice | ||
{{w|Equinox}} and {{w|Solstice}} have very different meanings: | {{w|Equinox}} and {{w|Solstice}} have very different meanings: | ||
| − | *An Equinox is one of two instants in the year when the sun is exactly over the equator; the length of day and night are very nearly equal that day at all locations on the planet, and it is | + | *An Equinox is one of two instants in the year when the sun is exactly over the equator; the length of day and night are very nearly equal that day at all locations on the planet, and (in the United States) it is the first day of Spring or Autumn, depending on the time of year. |
*A Solstice is one of two instants in the year when the sun's angle is maximally far from Earth's equator; when one occurs, the length of the day or night is shortest or longest (depending on whether one is in the northern or southern hemisphere), and (in the United States) it marks the first day of summer or winter. | *A Solstice is one of two instants in the year when the sun's angle is maximally far from Earth's equator; when one occurs, the length of the day or night is shortest or longest (depending on whether one is in the northern or southern hemisphere), and (in the United States) it marks the first day of summer or winter. | ||
| Line 87: | Line 54: | ||
;Hypothecate | ;Hypothecate | ||
*{{w|Hypothecate}} is a legal verb that means something similar to "make a mortgage". | *{{w|Hypothecate}} is a legal verb that means something similar to "make a mortgage". | ||
| − | *The {{w| | + | *The depicted angle has no meaning, but a {{w|Hypotenuse}} is the longest side of a right-angled triangle. Here it is the shortest side on a non right-angled triangle. |
;Obsequity | ;Obsequity | ||
| Line 99: | Line 66: | ||
;Prolapse | ;Prolapse | ||
*A {{w|Prolapse}} is a medical condition in which an internal organ is slipped forward or down. | *A {{w|Prolapse}} is a medical condition in which an internal organ is slipped forward or down. | ||
| − | |||
*{{w|Retrograde and prograde motion}} are terms used to describe the apparent motion of celestial objects through the sky. | *{{w|Retrograde and prograde motion}} are terms used to describe the apparent motion of celestial objects through the sky. | ||
| Line 113: | Line 79: | ||
;Tropopause | ;Tropopause | ||
*The {{w|Tropopause}} is the boundary in our atmosphere between the troposphere and stratosphere, defined as the boundary where air ceases to cool with increasing elevation. It is 9-17 km above sea level, not the thousands of kilometers as depicted here. | *The {{w|Tropopause}} is the boundary in our atmosphere between the troposphere and stratosphere, defined as the boundary where air ceases to cool with increasing elevation. It is 9-17 km above sea level, not the thousands of kilometers as depicted here. | ||
| − | |||
;Angle between the Astral and the Sagittal Planes | ;Angle between the Astral and the Sagittal Planes | ||
| − | * The angle depicted is the inclination of the moon orbit. The planes are marked with | + | * The angle depicted is the inclination of the moon orbit. The planes are marked with greeks letter, the angle is marked with a symbol resembling the greek ''phi'' (ϕ). |
;Errata | ;Errata | ||
* Errata are corrections in a published text (e.g. a newspaper article) issued after the publication. | * Errata are corrections in a published text (e.g. a newspaper article) issued after the publication. | ||
| − | * The | + | * The angle depicted as errata is half the angular size of the sun, which has to match the lunar angular size to cause a solar total eclipse. |
| − | |||
==Explanation for "Why isn't there a (solar) eclipse every month?"== | ==Explanation for "Why isn't there a (solar) eclipse every month?"== | ||
| Line 129: | Line 93: | ||
[[Image:Eclipse_Diagram.jpg]] | [[Image:Eclipse_Diagram.jpg]] | ||
| − | The real explanation of eclipses is evident from this xkcd comic, but is labeled with a fictional character similar to a Greek phi but with two vertical lines; the remaining labels also do not contribute to this explanation and exist only to distract or misinform | + | The real explanation of eclipses is evident from this xkcd comic, but is labeled with a fictional character similar to a Greek phi but with two vertical lines; the remaining labels also do not contribute to this explanation and exist only to distract or misinform the reader. |
==Transcript== | ==Transcript== | ||
| + | {{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}} | ||
:[An orbital map of the Earth is shown. The Sun is in the center, the Earth is at the right bottom, and the Moon is left below the Earth.] | :[An orbital map of the Earth is shown. The Sun is in the center, the Earth is at the right bottom, and the Moon is left below the Earth.] | ||
:'''Why isn't there an eclipse every month?''' | :'''Why isn't there an eclipse every month?''' | ||
| Line 148: | Line 113: | ||
:Determinant of the date of Easter, Arctangent | :Determinant of the date of Easter, Arctangent | ||
| − | :[The plane of the Moon is pictured in a small angle to the Earth's plane and named Astral Plane. The angle is presented between two lines (Greek Nu or Gamma and a double Greek Chi) and identified by a character that looks similar to a Greek Phi but with two vertical lines.] | + | :[The plane of the Moon is pictured in a small angle to the Earth's plane and named Astral Plane. The angle is presented between two lines (Greek Nu or Gamma and a double Greek Chi) and identified by a "Game Of Thrones" 'O' (a character that looks similar to a Greek Phi but with two vertical lines).] |
:[The labels at the Moon's path are:] | :[The labels at the Moon's path are:] | ||
:Tropopause, Prolapse, Errata. | :Tropopause, Prolapse, Errata. | ||
| Line 158: | Line 123: | ||
[[Category:Astronomy]] | [[Category:Astronomy]] | ||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
