3287: Perseids

Perseids

|< < Prev #3287 (August 19, 2026)

Title text: Recently I've been watching the Daytime Perseids. I haven't seen a meteor from them yet, but the clouds are pretty and the snacks are good.

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Explanation

This is one of 47 incomplete explanations: This page was created BY AN EXTREMELY TARDY METEOR SHOWER. Don't remove this notice too soon. If you can fix this issue, edit the page!

The Perseids are a group of shooting stars that appear every summer, reaching their highest point on August 12th. This comic was posted a week after then, and hence revolves around missing seeing them.

The Geminids are a meteor shower that appears every winter, usually peaking around December 14. Since it's very cold at night this time of year^{[citation needed]}, it's not as convenient to view them.

The title text references the fictional Daytime Perseids; Randall mentions not seeing a meteor. This is expected: the light from a burning meteor would be drowned out by the light of the Sun, rendering them invisible. However, clouds are visible during the day,^{[citation needed]} allowing Randall to watch them instead (and eat snacks).

The joke is that the group is using the idea of watching a meteor shower as an excuse for lying in a field and gazing at the sky, even when it's not actually possible to see them. Even an ordinary sky is full of beauty.

Transcript

[Megan, Cueball, and White Hat are standing in a group, with Cueball and White Hat looking at each other, and Megan standing behind Cueball.]

Cueball: I'm sad that we missed the Perseids.

White Hat: There's still the Geminids.

Cueball: Yeah, but they're in December.

[Zoom in on Cueball, who's now facing left.]

Cueball: The Perseids happen when it's warm enough to lie outside with a blanket, and we found a good mosquito-free beach. So we just lie around watching the stars and eating snacks. One year we saw the aurora.

[Zoom back out. Cueball is still facing left, and White Hat is now putting his hand to his chin in thought.]

Megan: You know, I think I heard that the Perseids might be late this year.

White Hat: Yeah, actually, I heard that too.

[Scene change to Megan, Cueball, and White Hat on the aforementioned beach during a very starry night. The sky near the horizon is grey, fading to black by the top of the panel. Megan and Cueball are both lying on mats, feet to the right. White Hat is sitting with his knees up, leaning on one arm and resting the other on his knee. Behind Megan's head is a drink cup with a bent straw, and bowls of snacks are behind the heads of the other two. A meteor is crossing the sky, toward the left.]

(Box in the top left): Later...

Megan: Hm, seems like a normal number of meteors. Guess I heard wrong.

Cueball: Maybe the Perseids are next weekend.

White Hat: Oh, good thinking. Let's come back then, just in case.

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Discussion

Almost added an extra comic page for this because it wasn't showing up for me. This website has some weird quirks Black Hat's Hat (talk) 17:25, 19 August 2026 (UTC)

Added the transcript, though I fear I might have gone overboard with the last panel. 7amiþ moi · 💬 · 📊 18:06, 19 August 2026 (UTC)

Beat me to it. Fully made a different transcript before it informed me there already was on. Overboard is probably what Randall was intending, anyways. Black Hat's Hat (talk) 18:14, 19 August 2026 (UTC)
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