explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

2984: Asteroid News

2024-09-12T07:59:14Z

172.70.206.241: /* Explanation */ un

{{comic
| number = 2984
| date = September 11, 2024
| title = Asteroid News
| image = asteroid_news_2x.png
| imagesize = 376x288px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Their calculations show it will 'pass within the distance of the moon' but that it 'will not hit the moon, so what's the point?'
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by an EXCITED EDITOR. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
[[Blondie]] as a [[:Category:News anchor|news anchor]] presents an image where an {{w|asteroid}} is seen zooming past {{w|Earth}} outside of the {{w|The Moon|Moon's}} orbit.

The comic is about this unnamed asteroid that is predicted to approach earth in 2063. It could possibly be related to the recently discovered asteroid [https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images/2024/06/Close_approach_of_asteroid_2024_MK 2024 MK] that made a close approach to Earth on June 29, 2024, but it could be any of the {{w|Jet Propulsion Laboratory}}'s Center for Near Earth Objects Studies' [https://cneos.jpl.nasa.gov/sentry/ Sentry objects].

Blondie mentions that according to the astronomers the asteroid only has a 'one-in-6000 chance of "doing something cool",' meaning that there is only a small chance that the asteroid will have a direct impact on Earth's surroundings. What Blondie deems as "something cool" would presumably be that the asteroid hits the Earth or the Moon. She then states that further observations has shown that this will not happen and the asteroid will just be yet another boring dot on the sky.

The joke is that most people are afraid that an asteroid getting close to us would actually hit, and hopes to hear that it will not. If this asteroid gets close enough that it will actually be a visible dot, then it is indeed very close to Earth given the normal sizes of {{w|Near-Earth object|near earth asteroids}}. Many people interested in the night sky would find it interesting to be able to see an asteroid with their naked eye.

The title text may refer to another asteroid that gets even closer than the one depicted, because this one should comes closer than the Moon according to calculations (presumably by the astronomers). But this asteroid will not hit the Moon even though it gets this close, so Blondie asks, what is the point? Again she hopes for some visible effect.

Unlike almost all of [[Randall]]'s other comics, this one involves {{w|boredom}} or ''ennui''. Because something interesting does not occur is often the most important experience in scientific inquiry, confirming the {{w|null hypothesis}}. See also [[13: Canyon]], [[24: Godel, Escher, Kurt Halsey]], [[52: Secret Worlds]], [[402: 1,000 Miles North]], [[731: Desert Island]], [[877: Beauty]], and [[895: Teaching Physics]].

==Transcript==

:[Close-up of Blondie as a newscaster speaking, alongside an image to the left of an asteroid passing by Earth. The path of the asteroid is shown as a dashed line near the top-left, with the moon orbiting the earth below it.]
:Blondie: Astronomers initially said there was a one-in-6,000 chance that the newly-discovered asteroid might "do something cool" in 2063, but further observations determined it will be "Just a boring dot like all the others."

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Blondie]]
[[Category:News anchor]]
[[Category:Astronomy]]
[[Category:Space]]

Talk:2984: Asteroid News

2024-09-12T07:08:49Z

172.70.206.241: r

Not sure!! Maybe it is "2016 AJ193" Found this news https://www.news18.com/news/buzz/nasa-detects-the-1000th-near-earth-asteroid-within-colliding-distance-4171781.html , but I can't find a NASA comment or any reputable source.
[[Special:Contributions/172.68.23.189|172.68.23.189]] 00:10, 12 September 2024 (UTC) WaywardMinstrel

The "DEFINATLY" in the explanation header is intentional, a reference to [[2871]] [[User:TheTrainsKid|TheTrainsKid]] ([[User talk:TheTrainsKid|talk]]) 00:52, 12 September 2024 (UTC)

'''Which asteroid is it?''' The explanation currently points towards the 2024 MK asteroid, which might be the most likely contender in that it is recently discovered and had the potential to do something interesting, but the 2063 line makes me hesitant to declare that it is a comic about that asteroid. Feel free to revert my changes if you have evidence pointing specifically to the 2024 asteroid or a theory explaining the 2063 reference (could 2024 MK return to earth in 39 years??). I haven't been able to find much information on this yet. Another possibility is that it is about a fictional asteroid, inspired by this year's discovery. [[User:Alcatraz ii|Alcatraz ii]] ([[User talk:Alcatraz ii|talk]]) 02:55, 12 September 2024 (UTC)
------- Likely to be one of the recently-removed objects on the Sentry list: https://cneos.jpl.nasa.gov/sentry/removed.html Hard to tell though as Sentry doesn't display impact probabilities for removed objects. You'd need some kind of archive of Sentry from a week ago. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.124.147|172.71.124.147]] 05:07, 12 September 2024 (UTC)

Is there a category for comics involving boredom? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.211.100|172.70.211.100]] 03:52, 12 September 2024 (UTC)
* [[13: Canyon]]
* [[24: Godel, Escher, Kurt Halsey]]
* [[52: Secret Worlds]]
* [[402: 1,000 Miles North]]
* [[731: Desert Island]]
* [[877: Beauty]]
* [[895: Teaching Physics]] [[Special:Contributions/172.68.22.9|172.68.22.9]] 04:05, 12 September 2024 (UTC)

Cmon hit the IOF lil asteroid

[[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.64|172.70.90.64]] 07:00, 12 September 2024 (UTC)
:Not even close. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.206.241|172.70.206.241]] 07:08, 12 September 2024 (UTC)

2853: Redshift

2024-07-22T10:07:04Z

172.70.206.241: /* Explanation */ example consistency

{{comic
| number = 2853
| date = November 10, 2023
| title = Redshift
| image = redshift_2x.png
| imagesize = 223x264px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = So do you have any plans for z=-0.000000000000045?
}}

==Explanation==
In this comic, [[Ponytail]] is using cosmological terms to answer that she first got interested in early universe cosmology 5.4 years ago, to which [[Cueball]] asks (in the title text) whether she has plans five and a half hours later. One interpretation is that these are two colleagues out for lunch, and Cueball likes her nerdy answer so much he wants to ask her out for a dinner date after work.

[[File:time by redshift.png|thumb|Redshift indicates how far in the past distant astronomical objects were as we observe them now.]]

In {{w|observational cosmology}}, a field of astronomy, {{w|redshift}} refers to the way that light from distant objects in the universe is stretched out, making it appear more red than it would otherwise. This occurs because the universe is expanding, and as a result, light waves are stretched as they travel through space. The {{w|Redshift#Redshift formulae|"z" value}} is a dimensionless measure of the redshift: the observed wavelength minus the expected wavelength, divided by the expected wavelength. A higher "z" value, or redshift, corresponds to earlier times in the history of the universe. This is because as the universe expands, light from distant galaxies is stretched to longer, redder wavelengths as it travels towards us. The further away a galaxy is, the longer its light has been traveling, and thus the more the universe has expanded since that light began its journey. Therefore, a higher redshift indicates a galaxy that is further away and that the light we see from it left when the universe was younger. Conversely, a lower redshift means the light has traveled a shorter distance and time, indicating a more recent epoch in the history of the universe. Negative values of "z" indicate a blueshift, which indicate objects that are approaching the observer, generally used in cosmological work to calculate rotation speeds of closer objects.

The joke here is that Cueball is asking Ponytail when she became interested in cosmology, and instead of giving a conventionally referenced time (such as "in college", "as a kid", "in 2018" or "five and a half years ago", whatever may apply), she responds with a redshift value "z=0.00000000038". This very small number corresponds to a very recent event compared to the start of the universe; well within a human lifetime, though it might take a cosmologist's specific knowledge to understand this and work out the interval's value. The negative blueshift question in the title text is a playful way of similarly asking about a future event. As the absolute value of the negative z is about ten thousand times smaller, it indicates a much closer event in the future.

[[File:LookBackFromRedshiftEqns.png|thumb|right|Calculation of look-back time is based on redshift, the {{w|Hubble parameter}} H0, and the {{w|Lambda-CDM model#Parameters|cosmological parameter}}s for mass Ωm and {{w|dark energy}} ΩΛ. The [https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Michael-Wade-5/publication/302632920/figure/fig2/AS:751645805789184@1556217733527/Then-a-Miracle-Occurs-Copyrighted-artwork-by-Sydney-Harris-Inc-All-materials-used-with_W640.jpg suprisingly extant] closed-form solution of the integral includes the special Gaussian {{w|hypergeometric function}} 2''F''1.]]

Assuming a given cosmology, its {{w|Shape of the universe|curvature}}, and a value for the {{w|Hubble's law#Interpretation|Hubble parameter}} H0 (also called the Hubble constant), it is possible to derive a specific look-back time for any given redshift value. For z=0.00000000038, a flat {{w|Lambda-CDM model|Lambda-CDM cosmological model}} with H0 = 69.32 km / Mpc / s (a reasonable medium between {{w|Hubble's law#Hubble tension|the disparate "crisis in cosmology" values for the Hubble parameter}}), a value of Ω0 of 0.2865, and a cosmic background temperature of 2.725 K, the look-back time is about 1960 days, or 5.4 years, which could suggest that Ponytail started studying cosmology as part of a Ph.D. program. Negative numbers of z, such as in the title text, would indicate a "look-forward" time, or a time in the future, and the same model indicates that z=-0.000000000000045 corresponds to 5.5 hours in the future. So Cueball is likely asking something like "What are you thinking of doing (later) this evening?"

The use of non-standard units of measurement has also been seen in [[2707: Astronomy Numbers]], with much larger typical redshift values previously included in [[2764: Cosmological Nostalgia Content]]. Redshift and blueshift have also been mentioned before in [[1852: Election Map]].

==Transcript==
:[Cueball and Ponytail are sitting at a table, eating from plates in front of them, Cueball using both hands with cutlery, Ponytail only holding cutlery in one hand, the other hand lying on her lap. Each has a wine glass standing on the table between the plates.]
:Cueball: So, when did you first get interested in early universe cosmology?
:Ponytail: Sometime around z=0.00000000038.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Cosmology]]

Talk:1550: Episode VII

2024-05-01T19:37:45Z

172.70.206.241: I wish this was the actual movie

For anybody interested, the ''dropping of eaves'' is not an actual activity:

;[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eavesdropping#Etymology Wikipedia on etymology of eavesdropping]

'''Eavesdrop''': "The dripping of water from the eaves of a house; the ground on which such water falls". An eavesdropper was one who stood at the eavesdrop (where the water fell, i.e., near the house) so as to overhear what was said inside.

[[Special:Contributions/108.162.229.206|108.162.229.206]] 09:10, 13 July 2015 (UTC)

----

'''Question''': Is there a joke in the J. J. Abrams credit?

[[Special:Contributions/108.162.229.206|108.162.229.206]] 09:10, 13 July 2015 (UTC)

::J. J. Abrams is actually the director / producer of the film in question, Episode VII: The Force Awakens [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 11:04, 13 July 2015 (UTC)

::I want to think the format of the comic is a parody of the opening of ''Alias'' or pne of Abrams's other television series. (You would get the title card, a brief sequence to set up the particular episode, then the "Directed by" credit. I'm not absolutely sure since it's been some time since I saw one of those series.) [[User:Rawmustard|Rawmustard]] ([[User talk:Rawmustard|talk]]) 13:38, 13 July 2015 (UTC)

::The joke in the final panel is the main overall joke, that the entirety of Episode VII's plot is Luke going back to finish his unfinished business on Tatooine of picking up the power converters. Thus we have opening title shot, three panels of storyboard, Luke delivering his line and then cut to credits. It's a wrap! [[User:R0hrshach|R0hrshach]] ([[User talk:R0hrshach|talk]]) 16:36, 13 July 2015 (UTC)

Staying on the topic of J. J. Abrams... Why no lens flares? - [[Special:Contributions/108.162.222.178|108.162.222.178]] 12:11, 13 July 2015 (UTC)

I assumed the hooded man was Luke Skywalker. Is there anyone else it reasonably could be? [[User:Djbrasier|Djbrasier]] ([[User talk:Djbrasier|talk]]) 13:30, 13 July 2015 (UTC)

;Euphemism

I'm sorry, ever since I first saw Episode IV in the 90s, I always interpreted "pick up some power converters" to mean "cruise for dudes", especially given how the line was delivered. Even Uncle Owen seemed to share my sentiment.
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.236|108.162.219.236]] 15:12, 13 July 2015 (UTC)

Robot Chicken expanded on the power converter line from A New Hope but in the other direction as a euphemism for a strip club routine. [[User:R0hrshach|R0hrshach]] ([[User talk:R0hrshach|talk]]) 16:38, 13 July 2015 (UTC)

I thought the comic was a trailer for the movie, as opposed to the whole thing (after all, there's no opening crawl). Anyone else, or is it just me? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.164|108.162.246.164]] 04:39, 14 July 2015 (UTC)
:That's how I first saw it. Apparently Raw up above saw it like that, too. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.179|108.162.238.179]] 21:53, 14 July 2015 (UTC)

;Doesn't make sense - there are many more uncompleted tasks

As to the allegations that there are many unresolved issues in the franchise that have a significant impact on the overall narrative of any of the movies I offered a quote from George Lucas “
I’ve left pretty explicit instructions for there not to be any more features. There will definitely be no ‘Episodes VII-IX’. That’s because there isn’t any story. I mean, I never thought of anything! The ‘Star Wars’ story is really the tragedy of Darth Vader. That is the story.”
I hope this ends the multiple reverts. I know superfans may read more into stories than exist, but many times the "unresolved issues" they see are just plot gaps and details not judged worthwhile to put into the narrative. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.32|108.162.216.32]] 19:42, 16 July 2015 (UTC)
:It is unquestionable that the series leaves issues unresolved - it is literally impossible to resolve every fine detail. Did Han and Leia get married? Have kids? issue unresolved. Does Luke train new Jedis? Do the Jedis return to power? Does Lando return to be leader of Cloud City again? There's lots of issues left unresolved - I could come up with a hundred - it's just a matter of whether anyone wants to see a movie relating to those issues, which is subjective. I don't read expanded universe stuff, but I'm quite positive there are already expanded universe books or comics that follow Jedi and must address issues that are "unresolved".

:As for The Lucas quote, Lucas is full of s*#%. Read "The Secret History of Star Wars" and you will see how Lucas learned a handy catch phrase: "I always intended...." He quickly started using that to start every sentence and avoid any criticism. The film series was originally conceived as an ongoing Flash-Gordon-style serial with maybe 12 films - like a James Bond series - independent plots - each film a self-contained unit, directed by a new director.... His annoyance with the first film and his failing marriage eventually wore him down to the trilogy, but in between he had other numbers. I believe it's in the interviews that precede the special editions on VHS that he claims he has stories planned for 1-3 and 6-9 - that there were three trilogies. He later claimed "I just had vague concepts for 6-9 and never really had any real films planned" and now he says "There's no story left- please don't make sequels!" but this is all just because of another lie. Star Wars was always supposed to be about Luke's journey - until the prequels, then he suddenly jumped over to the lie that "the films were always intended to be the saga of Darth Vader's rise and fall and redemption" However, if that's true, clearly there are no sequels because the story of Vader ends in VI. So he had to revise his claim about 6-9 to suit his story that the series was now all about Vader. It is for this reason that I don't think he deserves to be quoted in this comic because as much as he said "there are no unresolved issues" in one interview, he's said in others that he planned to do sequels. Complete flip flopping. [[User:TheHYPO|TheHYPO]] ([[User talk:TheHYPO|talk]]) 20:34, 17 July 2015 (UTC)

::Of course you are right, sadly the author keeps changing his story. I never bought the story being about Darth, looking at the first film clearly it was about Luke, even the Rebel Alliance is a symbol of luke's struggle with his "father" in the final movie. Clasic coming of age story. But it does show it is reasonable to assume there are no unresolved issues "that have a significant impact on the overall narrative", and that it is possible that Randell may think so. I will put it back if i need it to to stop the reverts, the author did say it. I will word weaker. As to if there are no issues resolved, that was never stated, just that there are no unresolved issues "that have a significant impact on the overall narrative". Those questions may not be significant to the plot of the previous movies in every-ones eyes. Also the explanation of the comic goes first and the trivia was at the bottom, not deleted. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.32|108.162.216.32]] 23:33, 17 July 2015 (UTC)

::The "who shot first" situation has traveled full circle. Star Wars (original release) shows Han shooting first, but the 90's special edition shows Greedo shooting first, as well as the 2000's dvd release. The Blu-ray edition, on the other hand, shows both Han and Greedo shooting at the same time. at least that's my understanding of the scene. [[User:Beardmcbeardson|Beardmcbeardson]] ([[User talk:Beardmcbeardson|talk]]) 20:53, 16 July 2015 (UTC)

:::I respectfully think that suggesting that this comic is a play on Randall suggesting that the "power converters" is the only unresolved thread in the films is incorrect. I think the point of this comic was simply Randall's musing on "What would be the most disappointing sequel possible?" with the response being "Luke picking up those power converters he mentioned needing to pick up in the first movie". It's a sequel because it ties to the prior films, but it's completely boring because it's pointless, emotionless and procedural and literally one scene. It might also be a musing on Randall's part of whether die hard star wars fans would still pay to see such a movie over and over again (hey, it does feature luke and contain a major callback to the first film) or that Disney would milk, the franchise by putting out a one-scene film with little or no plot. That's all just my opinion though. I don't htink any of it (including the unresolved issues bit) should go into the article. That's what this discussion section is for. [[User:TheHYPO|TheHYPO]] ([[User talk:TheHYPO|talk]]) 04:21, 18 July 2015 (UTC)

;Explanation
In the Explanation, in the section "The Comic", the word 'those' has been rendered in bold in the sentence "I'm here for those power converters". Is there an reason for this? I don't see it that way in the comic itself.[[User:These Are Not The Coments You Are Looking For|These Are Not The Coments You Are Looking For]] ([[User talk:These Are Not The Coments You Are Looking For|talk]]) 02:05, 19 July 2015 (UTC)

;Samwise and Gardening
In the Explanation it talks about Sam's task of gardening being unresolved, and implies that it's not important. However, in the books that's really the conclusion to the story: Sam takes the gift from Galadriel and replants trees all throughout the Shire, ending the destruction caused by Saruman. {{unsigned ip|Lts13}}

;Just want to say, this would have been a WAY better sequel than the actual episode VII.