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| date      = September 29, 2008
 
| date      = September 29, 2008
 
| title    = Height
 
| title    = Height
−
| before    = [[#Explanation|↓ Skip to explanation ↓]]
 
 
| image    = height.png
 
| image    = height.png
 
| titletext = Interestingly, on a true vertical log plot, I think the Eiffel Tower's sides would really be straight lines.
 
| titletext = Interestingly, on a true vertical log plot, I think the Eiffel Tower's sides would really be straight lines.
 
}}
 
}}
−
{{TOC}}
 
  
 
==Explanation==
 
==Explanation==
−
''Height'' uses a {{w|logarithmic scale}} to depict the contents of the {{w|universe}} at progressively smaller distances from Earth (less high above the Earth), starting at the highest possible "point," the edge of the {{w|observable universe}}, going all the way down to the grass beneath our feet. The comic is a direct companion piece to [[485: Depth]], also released on a Monday the week after this one. ''Depth'' similarly uses the logarithmic scale to depict the Earth at progressively greater magnification (going "deeper" down), from Earth's surface (the grass) to the interior of a single proton.
+
{{Incomplete|Lots of the little references aren't even mentioned, e.g. Human Altitude record, the space elevator, and I just added an explanation for "All Hail Discordia!" This is nearly there, but not yet.}}
 +
The comic is a companion piece to [[485: Depth]], which explores a {{w|logarithmic scale}} from Earth's atmosphere down to the interior of a single proton. ''Height'' begins this process by viewing logarithmically smaller scales showing several objects in the universe, both real and fictional, from farthest (top) to closest (bottom). The comic starts with [[Black Hat]] throwing a cat off the edge of the universe, probably a reference to {{w|Schrodinger's cat}} (as since it is outside the {{w|observable universe}} (for us), it exists in a super-position of both living and dead until we actually 'observe' it and force it to be in one of the states). It may also refer to the common myth that a cat will always land on its feet, a myth Black Hat appears to be testing to the extreme. The top of the universe is shown as the distance from which the oldest rays of light reach Earth.
  
−
The very top (edge) of the observable universe is described as being 46 billion {{w|light years}} above the Earth. The universe is "only" about {{w|Age of the universe|13.8 billion years old}}, so the {{w|cosmic background radiation}} that reaches the Earth today has also only traveled 13.8 billion light years. However, during that time, {{w|Metric expansion of space|the universe has expanded}}, so the galaxies that formed from that spot where this background radiation was emitted 13.8 billion years ago would now be 46 billion light years away. This has led to many {{w|Observable_universe#Misconceptions_on_its_size|misconceptions regarding the size}}, the most typical being that the radius of the observable universe is "only" 13.8 billion light years. See this video, ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXfhGxZFcVE How Do You Measure the Size of the Universe?]'', for a great explanation of the 46 billion light years.
+
Displaying height logarithmically while displaying width linearly noticeably distorts the shapes of the terrestrial objects. The title text notes that this distortion would approximately cancel out the curve of the Eiffel Tower's profile, and speculates that the cancellation might in fact be exact enough to convert its silhouette to a straight-edged triangle.
  
−
To the right of the text, [[Black Hat]] stands atop the comic, having just dropped a cat off the edge head first; he is clearly going to test if the cat will land on its feet, being a jerk per his usual character. It will take some time, though, before the cat reaches Earth....  
+
The {{w|age of the universe}} is currently stated as 13.8 billion years. But the {{w|Observable universe}} is about 14.0 billion {{w|parsecs}} or 46 billion {{w|light years}}, as shown on the top of the image.
  
−
As one scrolls down, the depicted distances become less compressed, until arriving at the surface of Earth, all the while approaching a 1:1 scale with real-life distances. As shown in [[1162: Log Scale]], if [[Randall]] didn't do this, the comic would be much, MUCH longer.
+
===Fictional Objects===
  
−
In this comic, most objects that are grounded on Earth are scaled logarithmically on the vertical axes and linearly on the horizontal axes (some are scaled linearly on both axes). Displaying objects in this manner noticeably distorts their shape; the Great Pyramid, for instance, looks not like a pyramid but like a bullet.  
+
*[http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/cat-on-a-keyboard-in-space Cat on a keyboard in space].
 +
*{{w|Ford_Prefect (character)|Ford Prefect}}, character from {{w|The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy (franchise)}}, shown near his home star; Betelgeuse.
 +
*The [http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Romulan_Neutral_Zone Romulan Neutral Zone], marking the edge of the {{w|Star Trek}} Federation.
 +
*{{w|Federation Sector 0-0-1}}, the sector of space assigned to Earth in {{w|Star Trek}}.
 +
*"missing WMDs", a reference to the controversy about {{w|Iraq and weapons of mass destruction}}.
 +
*{{w|Bupkis}} is Yiddish for "nothing". Only a handful of objects are known to orbit between the outer edge of the Kuiper Belt and the inner edge of the Oort Cloud, hence "Bupkis".
 +
*A comet scheduled to hit earth  in 2063, to coincide with the latest date for a supposed [http://www.askelm.com/prophecy/p971105.htm Biblically prophesized end of the world].
 +
*Life on the moons of Jupiter and Saturn, which may or may not exist.
 +
**The arrows most likely points to the following moons:
 +
**Jupiter’s moon {{W|Europa (moon)|Europa}} which may be covered by a deep ocean of water  - which is again covered by layer of ice many kilometers thick. In such an ocean life could have formed.
 +
**Saturn’s moon {{W|Titan (moon)|Titan}} is the only known moon to have an atmosphere - although nothing like the one on earth. There may be oceans on the moon, but not filled with water but with liquid methane and ethane. It is way too cold for liquid water. Still in such oceans life could also have formed.
 +
**For either moon the oceans cannot be viewed from earth either due to thick ice or opaque atmosphere.
 +
*The little spaceship from {{w|Asteroids (video game)}}.
 +
*The {{w|Discovery One}} from {{w|2001: A Space Odyssey}}, referring to the quote "open the pod bay door, HAL."
 +
*The spaceplane is most likely the Planet Express from {{w|Futurama}}, where Fry once discussed "a big heaping bowl of salt." However, it could conceivably refer to these instead:
 +
**The Quasi-elemental plane of Salt from the {{w|Inner Plane}} in {{w|Dungeons and Dragons}}.
 +
**The Great Salt Vampire from [http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/M-113_creature Star Trek TOS].
 +
**A relative of {{w|Russell's teapot}}.
 +
*A lunar lander with someone inside proclaming "In retrospect, they shouldn't have sent a poet. I have no idea how to land". The goal of {{w|Lunar Lander (arcade game)}} is to land the vehicle without crashing it. The quote is a reference to {{w|Contact (1997 film)}} where the main character Ellie Arroway after witnessing a celestial light show up close says "Poetry! They should've sent a poet.". The actual vehicle in the movie was round and not shaped like a lunar lander.
 +
*{{w|Cory Doctorow}}'s balloon. (first referenced in [[239]].)
 +
*[[Cueball]], who is apparently still using Python as shown in comic [[353]].
 +
*A {{w|Space elevator}} is a proposed method of transporting cargo or people into orbit, consisting of a station in a geosynchronous orbit, a cable connecting it to the Earth, and a climber that can scale the cable. No space elevator has been built to date, but according to the comic, one will be deployed "one of these days, promise!"
  
−
Outside of the Earth's atmosphere, the objects are placed at their actual distances from Earth on the log scale, but their shapes are not subjected to the logarithmic scaling of Earth objects, instead appearing as they would be seen (otherwise, round objects like the sun would appear more egg shaped, with the flatter side facing upward). However, objects are still much larger or much smaller than they would be in real life, in order to allow them to be properly seen.
+
===Real Objects===
  
−
In the title text, Randall muses on how the inwardly-curved sides of the {{w|Eiffel Tower}} might actually become perfectly straightened when subjected to this logarithmic distortion. Although it is shown to bulge in the comic proper, this may be a consequence of Randall's rough art style rather than any reflection of his beliefs. The actual shape of the Tower approximates an {{w|Exponential function|exponential curve}}, which would indeed give a straight line on a log scale, although it was actually designed by {{w|Gustave Eiffel}} to minimize wind resistance rather than to be mathematically exact (the design is so perfect that the amount the Tower sways in the wind is less than the amount it is distorted due to thermal expansion of the sunlit side).
+
*{{w|Hubble Deep Field}}, a long-exposure photograph of extremely distant galaxies.
−
 
+
*{{w|Great Attractor}}, an unusual concentration of intergalactic mass.
−
===Objects===
+
*{{w|Antennae Galaxies}}, a pair of colliding galaxies.
−
All objects are sorted from bottom to top by their maximum distance from earth for objects in a solar orbit, and their current distance for others.
+
*{{w|Andromeda Galaxy}}, a sibling to our Milky Way.
−
 
+
*{{w|Magellanic Clouds}}, a pair of nearby dwarf galaxies.
−
{| class="wikitable"
+
*{{w|Crab Nebula}}, {{w|Orion Nebula}}, and {{w|Horsehead Nebula}}, supernova remnants.
−
|-
+
*{{w|Pleiades}}, {{w|Rigel}}, and {{w|Betelgeuse}}, stars. The Pleiades also have a derogatory remark, as per [[66: Abusive Astronomy]]
−
! Distance
+
*The distance that human radio transmissions have traveled so far. See {{w|Contact (1997 film)}} for a depiction of this. This is also referenced in [[1212]].
−
! Object
+
*{{w|Pollux}}, {{w|Arcturus}}, {{w|Sirius}}, {{w|Alpha Centauri}}, and {{w|Barnard's Star}}, nearby stars.
−
! Description
+
*{{w|Oort cloud}}, a halo of ice balls surrounding our solar system.
−
|-
+
*{{w|Pioneer 10}} and {{w|Voyager 1}}, two early probes headed out of the solar system.
−
| 435&nbsp;×10<sup>24</sup>m
+
*{{w|Eris (dwarf planet)|Eris}} and {{w|Pluto}}, a pair of {{w|Trans-Neptunian object|TNOs}} now classified as {{w|dwarf planet}}s. The "All hail Discordia!" after Eris is a reference to {{w|Discordianism}}, a somewhat tongue-in-cheek religion based around the goddess Eris.  
−
| Black Hat and cat
+
*{{w|Neptune}}, {{w|Uranus}}, {{w|Saturn}}, and {{w|Jupiter}}, giant gas planets at our {{w|Solar System|solar system}}.
−
| Black Hat dropping a cat off the top of the comic, presumably to determine whether it will land on its feet.
+
*The {{w|Asteroid|Asteroid belt}} between Mars and Jupiter.
−
|-
+
*{{w|Mars}}, {{w|Venus}}, and {{w|Mercury}}, our neighboring inner planets. Note that Venus and Mars are shown with looping paths, reflecting the fact that their distances from Earth vary as the planets move in their orbits (this is true for all planets, but more noticeable for these two because the ratio of smallest to greatest distance is particularly large).
−
| 435&nbsp;×10<sup>24</sup>m
+
*The {{w|Sun}} and the {{w|Moon}}.
−
| colspan="2" align="center" style="background: #ffdead;" | Top of {{w|observable universe}}
 
−
|-
 
−
| 11.3&nbsp;×10<sup>24</sup>m
 
−
| {{w|Hubble Deep Field}} objects
 
−
| Objects of extremely distant galaxies found in a long-exposure photograph by of the Hubble telescope, 12 billion light-years away. The rightmost object is probably intended to be a quasar, schematically shown from the side.
 
−
|-
 
−
| 9.46&nbsp;×10<sup>24</sup>m
 
−
| colspan="2" align="center" style="background: #ffdead;" | One billion light years
 
−
|-
 
−
| 3.1&nbsp;×10<sup>24</sup>m
 
−
| {{w|Quasar}}
 
−
| A supermassive black hole at the center of some young, distant galaxies, the energy released by stuff as it falls into them makes them the brightest known objects, the black hole eventually gets too big so the huge amounts of energy can't escape, but while they're active, they outshine entire clusters of galaxies.
 
−
|-
 
−
| 2.36&nbsp;×10<sup>24</sup>m
 
−
| {{w|Great Attractor}}
 
−
| An unusual concentration of intergalactic mass. (It could also just be [[502: Dark Flow|Your Mom]]).
 
−
|-
 
−
| 425&nbsp;×10<sup>21</sup>m
 
−
| {{w|Antennae Galaxies}} (colliding)
 
−
| A pair of colliding galaxies.
 
−
|-
 
−
| 23.6&nbsp;×10<sup>21</sup>m
 
−
| {{w|Andromeda Galaxy}}
 
−
| A sibling to our Milky Way. It is the nearest spiral galaxy to ours.
 
−
|-
 
−
| 23.6&nbsp;×10<sup>21</sup>m
 
−
| Holy crap lots of space
 
−
| There is a lot of {{w|Void (astronomy)|nearly empty space between galaxies}}.
 
−
|-
 
−
| 9.46&nbsp;×10<sup>21</sup>m
 
−
| colspan="2" align="center" style="background: #ffdead;" | One million light years
 
−
|-
 
−
| 2.38&nbsp;×10<sup>21</sup>m
 
−
| [http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/cat-on-a-keyboard-in-space Cat on a keyboard in space]
 
−
| An internet meme featuring a picture of a cat sitting on a musical keyboard, superimposed on an image of space.
 
−
|-
 
−
| 1.56&nbsp;×10<sup>21</sup>m
 
−
| {{w|Magellanic Clouds}}
 
−
| These clouds are a pair of nearby dwarf galaxies.
 
−
|-
 
−
| 263&nbsp;×10<sup>18</sup>m
 
−
| Edge of Galaxy
 
−
| The edge of the {{w|Milky Way}} galaxy, the galaxy in which we reside.
 
−
|-
 
−
| 245&nbsp;×10<sup>18</sup>m
 
−
| {{w|Galactic Center}}
 
−
| The center of the Milky Way galaxy.
 
−
|-
 
−
| 61.5&nbsp;×10<sup>18</sup>m
 
−
| {{w|Crab Nebula}}
 
−
| Nebula are supernova remnants.
 
−
|-
 
−
| 14.2&nbsp;×10<sup>18</sup>m
 
−
| {{w|Horsehead Nebula}}
 
−
| A dark nebula that is part of the Orion Constellation.
 
−
|-
 
−
| 12.7&nbsp;×10<sup>18</sup>m
 
−
| {{w|Orion Nebula}}
 
−
| A nebula that is part of the Orion Constellation, just south of Orion's Belt.
 
−
|-
 
−
| 8.14&nbsp;×10<sup>18</sup>m
 
−
| {{w|Rigel}}
 
−
| The brightest star in the Orion Constellation, it is actually a triple star system known alternatively as Beta Orionis.
 
−
|-
 
−
| 6.08&nbsp;×10<sup>18</sup>m
 
−
| {{w|Betelgeuse}}
 
−
| The star Betelgeuse is displayed along with the location of {{w|Ford_Prefect (character)|Ford Prefect}} on his home planet, which orbits Betelgeuse. Ford Prefect is a fictional character from the science fiction parody {{w|The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy}}.
 
−
|-
 
−
| 4.20&nbsp;×10<sup>18</sup>m
 
−
| {{w|Pleiades}}
 
−
| The Pleiades also have a derogatory remark (for those who do not know how to recognize them), as per [[66: Abusive Astronomy]]. This is probably because they are Randall's favorite astronomical entity as is stated at the very bottom of the [http://www.xkcd.com/about/ about] page on xkcd.
 
−
|-
 
−
| 2.90&nbsp;×10<sup>18</sup>m
 
−
| The [http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Romulan_Neutral_Zone Romulan Neutral Zone]
 
−
| This marks the edge of the {{w|Star Trek}} Federation.
 
−
|-
 
−
| 931&nbsp;×10<sup>15</sup>m
 
−
| colspan="2" align="center" style="background: #ffdead;" |  The first radio broadcast was in January 1910. Since radio waves travel at the speed of light, and this was published in September 2008, the radio waves traveled about 98.5 light years. See {{w|Contact (1997 film)}} for a depiction of this. This is also referenced in [[1212: Interstellar Memes]].
 
−
|-
 
−
| 350&nbsp;×10<sup>15</sup>m
 
−
| {{w|Arcturus}}
 
−
| An orange giant star that is part of the Boötes constellation.
 
−
|-
 
−
| 320&nbsp;×10<sup>15</sup>m
 
−
| {{w|Pollux}}
 
−
| One of the most distinct stars in the Gemini Constellation, it is large Orange Giant with an apparent visual magnitude of 1.1
 
−
|-
 
−
| 242&nbsp;×10<sup>15</sup>m
 
−
| The edge of {{w|Federation Sector 0-0-1}}
 
−
| The sector of space assigned to Earth in {{w|Star Trek}}.
 
−
|-
 
−
| 224&nbsp;×10<sup>15</sup>m
 
−
| {{w|Iraq and weapons of mass destruction|"missing WMDs"}}
 
−
| A reference to the alleged weapons of mass destruction that were used as a pretense to mobilize the world population against Iraq and start the Iraq war.
 
−
|-
 
−
| 81.3&nbsp;×10<sup>15</sup>m
 
−
| {{w|Sirius}}
 
−
|Also known as Alpha Canis Majoris or the Dog Star, it is actually a binary system of stars consisting of a main sequence white star and a small white dwarf.
 
−
|-
 
−
| 56.6&nbsp;×10<sup>15</sup>m
 
−
| {{w|Barnard's Star}}
 
−
| Barnard's Star is a very small red dwarf that is of great interest to astronomers as an achievement in the SIM ({{w|Space Interferometry Mission}}) to find a celestial object out of solar system that is as small as 3 earth masses.
 
−
|-
 
−
| 41.3&nbsp;×10<sup>15</sup>m
 
−
| {{w|Alpha Centauri}}
 
−
| Alpha Centauri is the closest star system to our planet.
 
−
|-
 
−
| 30.9&nbsp;×10<sup>15</sup>m
 
−
| colspan="2" align="center" style="background: #ffdead;" | One {{w|parsec}} (= 3.26 light-years).
 
−
|-
 
−
| 9.46&nbsp;×10<sup>15</sup>m
 
−
| colspan="2" align="center" style="background: #ffdead;" | One {{w|light-year}}.
 
−
|-
 
−
| 15.0&nbsp;×10<sup>15</sup>m
 
−
| {{w|Oort cloud}}
 
−
| A halo of ice balls surrounding our solar system, but missing the {{w|Kuiper belt}} between Neptune and the Oort cloud. The Oort cloud is only theorized to exist, with no confirmed direct observations, so Randall has written a question mark (?) next to this region of the graph.
 
−
|-
 
−
| 350&nbsp;×10<sup>12</sup>m
 
−
| {{w|Bupkis}}
 
−
| Yiddish for "nothing." Only a handful of objects are known to orbit between the Kuiper Belt and the Oort Cloud.
 
−
|-
 
−
| 55.0&nbsp;×10<sup>12</sup>m
 
−
| A comet that will destroy the Earth in late 2063.
 
−
| To coincide with the latest biblically-based prophesy for the [http://www.askelm.com/prophecy/p971105.htm end of the world].
 
−
|-
 
−
| 19.5&nbsp;×10<sup>12</sup>m
 
−
| {{w|Voyager 1}}
 
−
| An early space probe. Distance correct as of 20th Nov 2014, click [http://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/where/ here] to see NASA's live distance counter.
 
−
|-
 
−
| 16.7&nbsp;×10<sup>12</sup>m
 
−
| {{w|Pioneer 10}}
 
−
| Listed distance is an estimate based on {{w|Pioneer_10#Current_status|this information}}.
 
−
|-
 
−
| 17.7&nbsp;×10<sup>12</sup>m
 
−
| {{w|Pioneer 11}}
 
−
| By the similarity in appearance to Pioneer 10, this unlabeled probe must be Pioneer 11. Listed distance is an estimate based on {{w|Pioneer_11#Current_status|this information}}.
 
−
|-
 
−
| 14.5&nbsp;×10<sup>12</sup>m
 
−
| {{w|Eris (dwarf planet)|Eris}}
 
−
| One of a pair of {{w|Trans-Neptunian object}}s now classified as {{w|dwarf planet}}s. The "All hail Discordia!" after Eris is a reference to {{w|Discordianism}}, a somewhat tongue-in-cheek religion based around the goddess Eris. The distance is the maximum distance from Earth.
 
−
|-
 
−
| 7.50&nbsp;×10<sup>12</sup>m
 
−
| {{w|Pluto}}
 
−
| One of a pair of {{w|Trans-Neptunian object}}s now classified as {{w|dwarf planet}}s. Pluto was originally classified as the 9th planet of the Solar system. Many people were appalled when it was suddenly degraded to dwarf planet. Obviously Randall does not think much of these people, thus the comment: ''Not a planet. Neener neener''. The distance is the maximum distance of Pluto from Earth.
 
−
|-
 
−
| 4.70&nbsp;×10<sup>12</sup>m
 
−
| {{w|Neptune}}
 
−
| Neptune is displayed here with its moons. Neptune is the eighth and final planet in our solar system.
 
−
|-
 
−
| 3.20&nbsp;×10<sup>12</sup>m
 
−
| {{w|Uranus}}
 
−
| Uranus is displayed here with its moons. Uranus is the seventh planet in our solar system.
 
−
|-
 
−
| 1.67&nbsp;×10<sup>12</sup>m
 
−
| {{w|Saturn}}  
 
−
| Saturn is displayed along with its moons. One of Saturn's moons, most likely {{w|Enceladus}}, is labeled as a potential location to find life. Enceladus was known in 2008 to have a possible subsurface ocean and active geysers, and a paper co-authored by well-known planetary scientist Caroline Porco in Astrobiology during that year (when the comic was published) spelt out the case for searching for life there (McKay et al. 2008 "The Possible Origin and Persistence of Life on Enceladus and Detection of Biomarkers in the Plume," Astrobiology 8(5):909-919). In 2015, the {{w|Cassini probe}} sampled material thought to be from Enceladus' geysers, and scientists have found evidence that its subsurface ocean closely resembles a particular kind of deep sea hydrothermal environment on Earth known to harbor life.
 
−
 
 
−
A more distant possibility is that Randall is referencing Saturn's largest (and much more well known moons) {{w|Titan (moon)|Titan}}, the only known moon to have an atmosphere and lakes. It was long predicted that there may be bodies of liquid on the surface filled with liquid methane and ethane (Titan is too cold for liquid water and life as we know it, but ethane and methane remain a liquid at those temperatures). There is some speculation that exotic forms of life based on extremely cold exotic chemistries may form in such conditions, with liquid hydrocarbons playing the role of the solvent (the role water plays in terrestrial life).
 
−
|-
 
−
| 928&nbsp;×10<sup>9</sup>m
 
−
| {{w|Jupiter}}  
 
−
| Jupiter is displayed along with its moons. One of Jupiter's moons, {{w|Europa (moon)|Europa}}, is labeled as a potential location to find life.  Europa may be covered by a deep ocean of water found under a layer of ice many kilometers thick. Some hypothesize that life could have formed in such oceans.
 
−
|-
 
−
| 222&nbsp;×10<sup>9</sup>m
 
−
| Asteroids
 
−
| The {{w|Asteroid|Asteroid belt}} contains a spaceship from {{w|Asteroids (video game)}}
 
−
|-
 
−
| 133&nbsp;×10<sup>9</sup>m
 
−
| {{w|Mars}}
 
−
| Note the path, reflecting the fact that their distances from Earth vary as the planets move in their orbits with a maximum distance of 401 million km and a minimum of 54.6 million km.
 
−
|-
 
−
| 114&nbsp;×10<sup>9</sup>m
 
−
| {{w|Venus}}
 
−
| Note the path, reflecting the fact that their distances from Earth vary as the planets move in their orbits with a maximum distance of 261 million km and a minimum of 37.7 million km.
 
−
|-
 
−
| 138&nbsp;×10<sup>9</sup>m
 
−
| {{w|Mercury}}
 
−
| Mercury is the innermost planet in our solar system. The distance shown is the maximum distance from Earth.
 
−
|-
 
−
| 149&nbsp;×10<sup>9</sup>m
 
−
| {{w|Sun}}
 
−
| The Sun is the star at the center of our solar system, around which the Earth and the other planets orbit.
 
−
|-
 
−
| 16.3&nbsp;×10<sup>9</sup>m
 
−
| {{w|Discovery One}}
 
−
| The Discovery One from {{w|2001: A Space Odyssey}}, referring to the quote "open the pod bay door, HAL." Also may be a reference to [[375: Pod Bay Doors]].
 
−
|-
 
−
| 9.43&nbsp;×10<sup>9</sup>m
 
−
| Planet Express
 
−
| The spaceplane is most likely the Planet Express from {{w|Futurama}}, where Fry once discussed "a big heaping bowl of salt."
 
−
|-
 
−
| 400&nbsp;×10<sup>6</sup>m
 
−
| Human Altitude Record
 
−
| Achieved by the team of {{w|Apollo 13}} approximately 100&nbsp;km higher than the remaining Apollo missions.
 
−
|-
 
−
| 384&nbsp;×10<sup>6</sup>m
 
−
| {{w|Moon}}
 
−
| The Moon is the Earth's only natural satellite.
 
−
|-
 
−
| 90.4&nbsp;×10<sup>6</sup>m
 
−
| {{w|Snoop Dogg}}
 
−
| A tongue-in-cheek reference to a rapper notorious for smoking marijuana, shown as having the second-highest altitude record. Someone who is taking drugs is said to be getting high.
 
−
|-
 
−
| 60.5&nbsp;×10<sup>6</sup>m
 
−
| {{w|Space elevator}}
 
−
| A proposed method of transporting cargo or people into orbit, consisting of a large mass beyond geosynchronous orbit, a station at the geosynchronous point, a cable connecting it to the Earth, and a climber that can scale the cable. Space elevators are also seen in [[697: Tensile vs. Shear Strength]] and [[536: Space Elevators]].
 
−
|-
 
−
| 42.1&nbsp;×10<sup>6</sup>m
 
−
| colspan="2" align="center" style="background: #ffdead;" | {{w|Geosynchronous orbit|Geosynchronous Orbit}}
 
−
|-
 
−
| 20.2&nbsp;×10<sup>6</sup>m
 
−
| {{w|GPS (satellite)|GPS Satellites}}
 
−
| GPS satellites are used for global positioning.
 
−
|-
 
−
| 3.94&nbsp;×10<sup>6</sup>m
 
−
| {{w|Lunar Lander}}
 
−
| The quote is a reference to {{w|Contact (1997 film)}}, where the main character Ellie Arroway after witnessing a celestial light show up close says "Poetry! They should've sent a poet."
 
−
|-
 
−
| 800&nbsp;×10<sup>3</sup>m
 
−
| {{w|Space debris|Space Junk}}
 
−
| There is a large quantity of defunct objects in orbit around the Earth. Amongst other things, this includes old satellites, rocket stages, and fragments from collisions or disintegration. Space junk is also referenced in [[1242: Scary Names]] under the title {{w|Kessler syndrome}}.
 
−
|-
 
−
| 422.5&nbsp;×10<sup>3</sup>m
 
−
| {{w|International Space Station}}
 
−
| The ISS (International Space Station) is a multinational effort to put a research vessel in space. It is currently the largest artificial object in Earth's orbit, as well as the location of the longest continuous human presence in space.
 
−
|-
 
−
| 100&nbsp;×10<sup>3</sup>m
 
−
| colspan="2" align="center" style="background: #ffdead;" | The {{w|Edge of space|official edge of space}} as defined by the {{w|Kármán line}}.
 
−
|-
 
−
| 76.0&nbsp;×10<sup>3</sup>m
 
−
| {{w|Meteors}}
 
−
| Meteors are chunks of rock (usually asteroids) that burn up in the atmosphere, producing the bright light associated with them. If they are large enough to hit the ground, they become meteorites, which is why Munroe labeled them only in the upper atmosphere.
 
−
|-
 
−
| 25.0&nbsp;×10<sup>3</sup>m
 
−
| {{w|High-altitude balloon|High-altitude balloons}}
 
−
|  Unmanned balloons, typically filled with helium or hydrogen. The current altitude record was set in 2002 by a balloon named BU60-1 that reached 53,000m.
 
−
|-
 
−
| 16.1&nbsp;×10<sup>3</sup>m
 
−
| colspan="2" align="center" style="background: #ffdead;" | 1/10 ATM = 0.1 {{w|Atmospheric pressure|atmosphere of pressure}}
 
−
|-
 
−
| 12.0&nbsp;×10<sup>3</sup>m
 
−
| {{w|Airliner|Airliners}}
 
−
| This is a typical cruising altitude of jet aircraft, equating to roughly 40,000 feet. (Aircraft altitude tends to be specified in feet rather than metres (yay!?))
 
−
|-
 
−
| 8.84&nbsp;×10<sup>3</sup>m
 
−
| {{w|Mount Everest}}
 
−
| The Earth's highest mountain, located in the {{w|Himalayas|Himalayan mountain range}} in South Asia.
 
−
|-
 
−
| 8.00&nbsp;×10<sup>3</sup>m
 
−
| [[Cory Doctorow]]
 
−
| Cory Doctorow is a [[:Category:Comics featuring Cory Doctorow|recurring theme]] in xkcd. He was first seen in a balloon in [[239: Blagofaire]].
 
−
|-
 
−
| 6.34&nbsp;×10<sup>3</sup>m
 
−
| {{w|Space Shuttle Columbia disaster}}
 
−
| The {{w|Space Shuttle Columbia}} and its seven-member crew were lost when it disintegrated at [http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=6v16AgAAQBAJ&lpg=PA7&ots=LDKQ3nsNHs&dq=shuttle%20columbia%20altitude&pg=PA7#v=onepage&q=shuttle%20columbia%20altitude&f=false approximately 63,400m] in 2003. This number is inconsistent with the height of the graph by a factor of 10 (probably a mistype by Randall).
 
−
|-
 
−
| 6.00&nbsp;×10<sup>3</sup>m
 
−
| {{w|Helicopter}}
 
−
| Though the record for helicopter altitude (without payload) is 12,442m, normal flying is usually performed much lower. In the US, 6000m is into {{w|Class A airspace}}, which is restricted and requires flight under {{w|Instrument Flight Rules}}.
 
−
|-
 
−
| 6.00&nbsp;×10<sup>3</sup>m
 
−
| {{w|Cloud}}
 
−
| Though not actually labeled, there are a couple of clouds shown. While different cloud types vary in height, 6000m is roughly in the middle of the height range for [http://weatherfaqs.org.uk/node/21 clouds in temperate regions].
 
−
|-
 
−
| 5.49&nbsp;×10<sup>3</sup>m
 
−
| colspan="2" align="center" style="background: #ffdead;" | 1/2 ATM = 0.5 {{w|Atmospheric pressure|atmosphere of pressure}}
 
−
|-
 
−
| 1.78&nbsp;×10<sup>3</sup>m
 
−
| [[Cueball]]
 
−
| Apparently still using Python as shown in comic [[353: Python]].
 
−
|-
 
−
| 800&nbsp;×10<sup>0</sup>m
 
−
| colspan="2" align="center" style="background: #ffdead;" | 800 meters
 
−
|-
 
−
| 800&nbsp;×10<sup>0</sup>m
 
−
| {{w|Burj Khalifa|Burj Dubai}} 
 
−
| Now known as the Burj Khalifa, it is the tallest building in the world. This was also a main feature in [[1110: Click and Drag]].
 
−
|-
 
−
| 500&nbsp;×10<sup>0</sup>m
 
−
| colspan="2" align="center" style="background: #ffdead;" | 500 meters
 
−
|-
 
−
| 400&nbsp;×10<sup>0</sup>m
 
−
| colspan="2" align="center" style="background: #ffdead;" | 400 meters
 
−
|-
 
−
| 325&nbsp;×10<sup>0</sup>m
 
−
| {{w|Eiffel Tower}}
 
−
| A famous landmark in Paris, France.
 
−
|-
 
−
| 300&nbsp;×10<sup>0</sup>m
 
−
| colspan="2" align="center" style="background: #ffdead;" | 300 meters
 
−
|-
 
−
| 200&nbsp;×10<sup>0</sup>m
 
−
| colspan="2" align="center" style="background: #ffdead;" | 200 meters
 
−
|-
 
−
| 150&nbsp;×10<sup>0</sup>m
 
−
| Kite
 
−
| Kite string is commonly sold in large spools; a nice thick spool will probably hold 150 meters. Kites are a [[:Category:Kites|recurring theme]] in xkcd; for instance, see [[235: Kite]].
 
−
|-
 
−
| 140&nbsp;×10<sup>0</sup>m
 
−
| {{w|Great Pyramid of Giza}}
 
−
| One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It is located in Egypt.
 
−
|-
 
−
| 120&nbsp;×10<sup>0</sup>m
 
−
| {{w|Pop fly}}
 
−
| In {{w|Baseball}}, a 'Pop Fly' is when the batter mis-hits the baseball, which then follows a tall arc deep into the infield where it's easy picking for the other team to catch on its way down. The highest recorded pop fly, not including those that landed in foul territory, was 172 meters.
 
−
|-
 
−
| 115&nbsp;×10<sup>0</sup>m
 
−
| {{w|Redwood Tree|Redwood trees}}
 
−
| The tallest trees in the world. At 115.61&nbsp;m (379.3&nbsp;ft), {{w|Hyperion (tree)|Hyperion}}, a Coast Redwood, holds the record for the tallest tree in the world.
 
−
|-
 
−
| 100&nbsp;×10<sup>0</sup>m
 
−
| colspan="2" align="center" style="background: #ffdead;" | 100 meters
 
−
|-
 
−
| 20.0&nbsp;×10<sup>0</sup>m
 
−
| {{w|Oak}}
 
−
| While oaks may grow to be in excess of 40m in height, heights of around 20m are more typical. The person in the tree saying, "Hey, squirrels!" is a reference to [[167: Nihilism]].
 
−
|-
 
−
| 16.4&nbsp;×10<sup>0</sup>m
 
−
| Tallest stilts
 
−
| The tallest {{w|stilts}} recorded by the Guinness Book of World Records (as of November 2006) were 16.4 meters, or nearly 54 feet. See also [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/8/89/1608_1038x1095y_Hamsterball_and_stilts_room.png these tall stilts] from [[1608: Hoverboard]].
 
−
|-
 
−
| 13.0&nbsp;×10<sup>0</sup>m
 
−
| {{w|Brachiosaurus|Brachiosaur}}
 
−
| A large genus of dinosaur.
 
−
|-
 
−
| 8.00&nbsp;×10<sup>0</sup>m
 
−
| {{w|Giraffe}}
 
−
| The tallest living terrestrial animal, with fully grown adults reaching in excess of 5 m. While labeled 8m in the comic, the [http://www.big-animals.com/the-giraffe-the-worlds-tallest-animal/ record] for height is reported at 5.8m. Giraffes have been used by Randall for measuring heights, most prominently in the ''[[what if? (blog)|what if?]]'' ''{{what if|44|High Throw}}''.
 
−
|-
 
−
| 1.70&nbsp;×10<sup>0</sup>m
 
−
| {{w|Human height|Folks}}
 
−
| Determining an average height of the world population is fraught with complications, but as a ballpark figure, 1.7m is fairly accurate.
 
−
|}
 
  
 
==Transcript==
 
==Transcript==
−
:'''Top of observable universe'''
+
:[Map of the universe from observable universe to Earth. Each area of item is labelled.]
 +
:[Labels left to right, up to down:]
 
:[Black Hat is standing on top, throwing a black kitty down.]
 
:[Black Hat is standing on top, throwing a black kitty down.]
−
:Black Cat: Mrowl!
+
:Black Cat: mrowl!
−
:[Map of the universe from observable universe to Earth. Each area of item is labeled. Labels left to right, up to down:]
+
::Top of Observable Universe
−
:(46 billion light years up)
+
::46 Billion Light Years Up
 
::Hubble Deep Field Objects
 
::Hubble Deep Field Objects
−
:-One billion light years-
+
:-One Billion Light Years-
 
::Great Attractor
 
::Great Attractor
−
::Antennae Galaxies (colliding)
+
:Antennae Galaxies (Colliding)
−
::Andromeda
+
:Andromeda
−
::Holy crap lots of space
+
:::Holy Crap Lots of Space
−
:-One million light years-
+
::-One Million Light Years-
 
::Magellanic Clouds
 
::Magellanic Clouds
−
::Edge of galaxy
+
::Edge of Galaxy
−
::Galactic center
+
::Galactic Center
 
::Crab Nebula
 
::Crab Nebula
 
::Orion Nebula
 
::Orion Nebula
 
::Horsehead Nebula
 
::Horsehead Nebula
−
::Romulan neutral zone
+
::Romulan Neutral Zone
−
::The Pleiades, duh!
+
:::The PLEIADES, Duh.
 
::Rigel
 
::Rigel
 
::Betelgeuse
 
::Betelgeuse
 
::Ford Prefect
 
::Ford Prefect
−
:[Three arrows are pointing up above three lines with the following label:]
+
::-Expanding Shell of Radio Transmissions [Arrows are pointing up.]-
−
:-Expanding shell of radio transmissions-
+
::Edge of Federation Sector 0-0-1
−
::[Above a dotted line:]
 
−
::Edge of federation sector 0-0-1
 
 
::Pollux
 
::Pollux
 
::Arcturus
 
::Arcturus
 
::Missing WMDs
 
::Missing WMDs
 +
::Alpha Centauri
 
::Sirius
 
::Sirius
 
::Barnard's Star
 
::Barnard's Star
−
::Alpha Centauri
+
:-One Parsec-
−
:-One parsec-
+
::-One Light Year-
−
:-One light year-
 
 
::Oort Cloud (?)
 
::Oort Cloud (?)
 
::Bupkis
 
::Bupkis
 
::Comet which will destroy Earth in late 2063
 
::Comet which will destroy Earth in late 2063
 
::Pioneer 10
 
::Pioneer 10
 +
::Eris (All hail Discordia!)
 
::Voyager I
 
::Voyager I
−
::Eris (All hail Discordia!)
 
 
::Pluto (Not a planet. Neener neener.)
 
::Pluto (Not a planet. Neener neener.)
 
::Neptune
 
::Neptune
 
::Uranus
 
::Uranus
−
::Saturn
+
:Saturn
−
::[Two arrows point to two moons, one next to each of the planets above and below.]
+
::Asteroids
−
::<-- Life -->
+
:::<~life~>
 
::Jupiter
 
::Jupiter
−
::Asteroids
+
::Venus
 
::Mars
 
::Mars
−
::Venus
 
 
::Sun
 
::Sun
 
::Mercury
 
::Mercury
−
::Spaceship Planet Express: Hey, a heaping bowl of salt!
+
::Aircraft: Hey a heaping bowl of salt!
−
::Spaceship Discovery One: Open the fridge door, Hal.
+
::"Open the fridge door, Hal."
 
::Moon
 
::Moon
−
::Human altitude record (Apollo 13)
+
::Human Altitude Record (Apollo 13)
−
::2nd place: Snoop Dogg
+
::2nd Place: Snoop Dogg
−
::Space elevator - One of these days, promise!
+
::Space Elevator - One of these days, promise!
−
::Geosynchronous Orbit
+
::-Geosynchronous Orbit-
−
::GPS satellites
+
::GPS Satellites
−
::Lunar lander: In retrospect, they <u>shouldn't</u> have sent a poet. I have no idea how to land.
+
::Lunar lander: In retrospect, they shouldn't have sent a poet. I have no idea how to land
 
::International Space Station
 
::International Space Station
−
::Space junk
+
::Space Junk
−
:-Official edge of space (100 km)-
+
::-Official Edge of Space (100 km)-
 
::Meteors
 
::Meteors
−
:-1/10 ATM-
+
::-1/10 ATM-
−
::High altitude balloons
+
::High Altitude Balloons
 
::Airliners
 
::Airliners
−
::Shuttle Columbia lost
+
::-1/2 ATM-
−
:-1/2 ATM-
 
 
::Cory Doctrow
 
::Cory Doctrow
 +
::Shuttle Columbia Lost
 
::Everest
 
::Everest
−
::Helicopters (6000 m)
+
::Helicoptors
 
::Cueball: Woo Python!
 
::Cueball: Woo Python!
−
::[A vertical scale is drawn along the right side of the picture, starting at 1 km and getting progressivly smaller and smaller.]
+
::-800 m-
−
:1 km
+
::-1 km-
−
:-800 m-
+
::[Height progressivly gets smaller and smaller.]
 
::Burj Dubai (~800 m)
 
::Burj Dubai (~800 m)
−
:500
 
−
:400
 
 
::Eiffel Tower (325 m)
 
::Eiffel Tower (325 m)
−
:200
 
 
::Kites
 
::Kites
 
::Great Pyramid (140 m)
 
::Great Pyramid (140 m)
−
::Pop fly
 
 
::Redwood (115 m)
 
::Redwood (115 m)
−
:100m
+
::Pop Fly
 
::Oak (20 m)
 
::Oak (20 m)
−
::A person in the oak: Hey squirrels!
+
::"Hey Squirrels!"
−
::Tallest stilts
+
::Tallest Stilts
 
::Brachiosaur (13 m)
 
::Brachiosaur (13 m)
 
::Giraffe (8 m)
 
::Giraffe (8 m)
−
::[Megan and Cueball holding the kite are labeled:]  
+
::[Megan and Cueball.] Folks
−
::Folks
+
:The Observable Universe, from Top to Bottom ~On a log scale~
−
:'''The observable universe, from top to bottom'''
+
:Sizes are not to scale, but heights above the Earth's surface are accurate on a log scale (that is, each step up is double the height.)
−
::~On a log scale~
 
−
::Sizes are not to scale, but heights above the Earth's surface are accurate on a log scale. (That is, each step up is double the height.)
 
−
 
 
−
==Trivia==
 
−
This comic used to be [https://web.archive.org/web/20211215032218/https://store.xkcd.com/products/height-poster available as a poster] in the xkcd store before it was [[Store|shut down]].
 
  
 
{{comic discussion}}
 
{{comic discussion}}
−
 
 
[[Category:Charts]]
 
[[Category:Charts]]
−
[[Category:Large drawings]]
 
−
[[Category:Illustrations of scale]]
 
−
[[Category:Comics with inverted brightness]]
 
 
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
 
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
 
[[Category:Comics featuring Cory Doctorow]]
 
[[Category:Comics featuring Cory Doctorow]]
−
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
+
[[Category:Large drawings]]
−
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
 
−
[[Category:Space probes]]
 
−
[[Category:Astronomy]]
 
−
[[Category:Space]]
 
−
[[Category:Elevators]] <!--Space Elevator-->
 
−
[[Category:Baseball]]
 
−
[[Category:Animals]]
 
−
[[Category:Dinosaurs]]
 
−
[[Category:Giraffes]]
 
−
[[Category:Squirrels]]  <!--Hi Squirrels in oak tree-->
 
−
[[Category:Programming]] <!--Python-->
 
−
[[Category:Kites]]
 
−
[[Category:Star Trek]]
 
−
[[Category:Comics with xkcd store products]]
 
−
[[Category:Stilts]]
 

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