3259: Tethys

Tethys

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Title text: In order to carry the necessary crafting supplies, they built the ships at 12:1 scale.

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Explanation

This is one of 45 incomplete explanations: This page was created recently AND NEEDS TO BE RECREATED AT A 1:12 SCALE. Don't remove this notice too soon. If you can fix this issue, edit the page!

Tethys is the fifth moon of Saturn, and, with a diameter of 1,060 kilometers, is almost exactly 1/12th the physical size of Earth (which has a diameter of 12,742 km).

This comic presents a fantastical scenario in which miniature artists (artists whom produce scale models of existing structures) decide to use Tethys to produce a 1:12 scale model of the Earth. This is a patently absurd undertaking: all the difficulties of terraforming, already a monstrous task for a sub-K1 civilization, would be exacerbated by the need for precision (in order to recreate Earth's features accurately), as well as the particularly unfavorable traits of the Saturnian system.

Tethys' distance from the Sun is too great for Earth's surface conditions to be recreated without artificially increasing insolation, likely through the use of orbital solar mirrors (which would be especially difficult to erect around Saturn, with its many moons and ring system causing severe gravitational interference).

However, there is some good news: Tethys' large native water stores eliminate the need to ship in more, and the nearby moon Titan's atmosphere could be harvested for nitrogen, which is necessary to recreate Earth's atmospheric composition.

The title text humorously says that the ships used in the construction effort are built "at a 12:1 scale," i.e. 12x larger than normal (however "normal" is defined).

Transcript

[An image of a planet, presumably Saturn, showing prominent rings as well as three distant moons and one close, large moon. In front of the large moon is a line of spaceships dwindling into the distance toward the moon, or perhaps toward an orbit around it. Each spaceship has prominent rocket nozzles aimed toward the viewer and away from the large moon, as well as what appears to be a pile of material on "top" of the spaceship, with tie-down ropes holding it in place.]

[Caption below the panel:]
After learning that Tethys is exactly 1/12^th the size of Earth, the miniature art model builders launched a fleet of ships to begin their final, greatest project.

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Discussion

Are the humans there also 12:1? King Pando (talk) 15:55, 15 June 2026 (UTC)

12:1 means 12x in dimensions. I think the joke is that the miniature art builders are so obsessed with miniatures that 1:12 scale is their"normal", so 12:1 from their perspective is a normal size from everyone else's perspective.135.180.173.62 16:44, 15 June 2026 (UTC)

My understanding of the gag is that the miniature builders are constructing a 1:12 model of the Moon to go with Tethys's "scale model of Earth."

You mean the american miniature art model builders. The rest of the world will keep waiting for a 1,274.2 km moon 38.25.26.137 19:56, 15 June 2026 (UTC)

A possible subjoke is a misunderstanding of scaling. Tethys' radius/diameter is 1/12 that of Earth's, but its surface area is closer to 3/500. In terms of surface area, Jupiter's moon Io is closest to the 1/12 scale. It is also possible that this commenter doesn't understand scaling, though. 1.170.227.28 02:41, 16 June 2026 (UTC)
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