Editing 1298: Exoplanet Neighborhood

{{comic
| number    = 1298
| date      = December 2, 2013
| title     = Exoplanet Neighborhood
| image     = exoplanet_neighborhood.png
| titletext = It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood!
}}
The comic image links to a larger version of the comic, at [http://xkcd.com/1298/large/ http://xkcd.com/1298/large/].

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|In the [[#Trivia|trivia section]], need to mention that both the title text and the title have been changed (!!!), '''when''', and '''why''', and need to check if the comic image linked to the larger version when it was initially published.}}The diagram is a graphical representation of the statistically predicted distribution of nearby exoplanets (planets not in our solar system), based on the assumption that the exoplanets that are currently known have a distribution of orbits, sizes, and star types that is similar to the actual distribution. Astronomers are particularly interested in exoplanets within 60 light years of Earth which lie in a {{w|Circumstellar habitable zone|habitable zone}}; that is, a planet whose orbit is within a certain range of distance from a star such that water could exist in a liquid state.

Since almost all life on Earth (which is the only place we've actually found life thus far) depends on liquid water in some way, these planets are considered the most likely to support life. The diagram categorizes exoplanets in two ways. The disc color indicates the characteristics of the central star, with a <span style="color: #880000;">'''reddish'''</span> tone indicating hypothetical planets that orbit stars similar in characteristics to our sun, while <span style="color: #606060;">'''grey'''</span> indicates those that orbit stars unlike our sun. The disc sizes indicates the hypothetical size of the exoplanets, with planets similar to Earth's size depicted in a slightly darker shade of either color. Because the discs represent a distribution, their positioning within the diagram is irrelevant; the spacing around the title and the Earth is an artistic choice. It appears that the diagram is intended to cause the viewer to conclude that there are a significant number of Earth-sized planets orbiting Sun-type stars which could be habitable, and even more possibly-habitable planets around other types of stars or in other sizes.

The title text is an allusion to the former PBS television show {{w|Mister Rogers' Neighborhood}} in which the same line presents itself in the opening song, {{w|Mister Rogers' Neighborhood#Regular songs|"Won't You Be My Neighbor?"}}. Randall has commented on the results of exoplanet research before, in [[786: Exoplanets]] and [[1071: Exoplanets]].

==Transcript==
:'''OUR NEIGHBORHOOD'''
:A portrait of all habitable-zone planets within 60 light-years of Earth (constructed from statistical data on typical planet sizes and orbits)

:[The image shows many planets in different colors and a legend shows planets at different sizes.]
:Planets around sun-like stars
:Planets around other stars
:[A marker on both sides:]
:Earth-sized planets

:[Center of the image.]
:Earth

==Trivia==
*The title of the comic was changed from what is currently the title text to "Exoplanet Neighborhood".
*The title text was changed.
*This comic used to be [https://web.archive.org/web/20211215045733/https://store.xkcd.com/products/exoplanet-neighborhood-poster available as a poster] in the xkcd store before it was [[Store|shut down]].

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Astronomy]]
[[Category:Large drawings]]
[[Category:Exoplanets]]
[[Category:Comics with xkcd store products]]