Editing 2401: Conjunction

{{comic
| number    = 2401
| date      = December 21, 2020
| title     = Conjunction
| image     = conjunction.png
| titletext = The IAU is sad to announce that at 00:39 UTC on December 22nd, Jupiter and Saturn did unfortunately come into contact, and appear to have blooped together.
}}

==Explanation==
Cueball and Ponytail are observing the 2020 {{w|Great conjunction|Jupiter-Saturn conjunction}}. This comic is similar to other comparisons between expectation and reality, such as [[2176: How Hacking Works]], [[683: Science Montage]], [[2341: Scientist Tech Help]], and [[538: Security]]. The expectation is that the scientists will remain professional and serious throughout the event, testing Einstein's theory of General Relativity and using technical terms such as {{w|arcminute}}, a unit of measurement often used in astronomy. In reality, however, they are actually treating the event quite whimsically and are having fun with it, even jokingly commenting about the event. Other astronomical phenomena, such as solar eclipses, actually have been used to test Einstein's theories, but in this case the interest is purely aesthetic.

The title text references the misconception that the planets physically get very close at conjunction, rather than merely appearing to do so. The wording suggests a quick and uneventful merger, possibly alluding to the way drops of water merge when the {{w|surface tension}} between them is broken.

If Jupiter and Saturn really did come into contact and "blooped together", most of the mass would stay collected as an extremely hot and turbulent blob that would eventually settle down as a new planet (which Randall suggests might be called [[2258: Solar System Changes|"Jaturn"]]), but more than a bit would be spewed outwards.  The possible outcomes vary enormously, depending on factors such as how direct the impact was, and its alignment relative to the planets' spins. However, while such a collision would be preceded by a conjunction, a conjunction does not necessarily indicate an imminent collision, as Jupiter and Saturn, although on the same sightline from Earth, are still [https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/great-jupiter-saturn-conjunction-dec-21-2020 separated by 734 million km (456 million mi)] at the time of the conjunction - almost five times the distance from Earth to the Sun.

==Transcript==

:[Caption above the first panel:] 
:What people imagine astronomers observing a conjunction are like

:[Cueball and Ponytail are both looking through telescopes at the conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn.]
:Cueball: 6.15 arcminutes!
:Ponytail: Stupendous! This confirms Einstein!

:[Caption above the second panel:] 
:What they're actually like

:[The same picture with different spoken sentences.]
:Cueball: Wow! Look how close they are!
:Ponytail: It's '''''so cool!!'''''
:Cueball: ''Now kiiiisssss!!''
:Ponytail: '''''Dooo iiit!'''''

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Astronomy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]