Editing 1248: Sphere

{{comic
| number    = 1248
| date      = August 07, 2013
| title     = Sphere
| image     = sphere.png
| titletext = This message brought to you by the Society of Astronomers Trapped on the Surface of a Sphere.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Megan]] has taken or visited an astronomy class and has become more conscious about the vast size of the universe, and our own small place in it. She ponders that she can only observe and learn about the rest of the universe; she cannot explore it directly as she is trapped, presumably by the constraints of gravity, time and human technology.

The {{w|sphere}} she mentions here is the {{w|Earth}}, whose {{w|surface}} is roughly spherical in shape. The {{w|figure of the Earth}} is an irregular shape which can be better approximated as an oblate {{w|spheroid}}, or more specifically as a {{w|geoid}}.

Her disinclination to make "{{w|small talk}}" with [[Cueball]] is a reference to how astronomers and people of other 'big-science' specializations can be so focused on their topic that they become disconnected from the simple details of everyday life. This has also been touched upon in [[663: Sagan-Man]] and [[786: Exoplanets]].

The concept of "small talk", which is usually used as a colloquial term meaning insignificant chatter with others, is taken quite literally by Megan to be small in size. The word itself is juxtaposed with the size of the universe shortly after, which also ties into her previous sentence of being trapped on a "sphere". It seems that astronomy, which deals with ideas of a vastly large scale, has expanded Megan's views to the point where she feels insignificant herself, as well as other matters that concern her. Her gaze outwards also reinforces this suggestion, especially during her conversation with Cueball. She does not engage in eye-to-eye contact, instead replying without looking directly at him. This implies that she is disregarding the current conversation as insignificant as well, which furthers the assumption of Megan's expanded scope of viewpoint.

The title text is a continuation of this theme. The name "Society of Astronomers Trapped on the Surface of a Sphere" or, "SATSS", follows a common naming practice for scientific communities, Society, or Association, or Union of <Scientists> of <Country, Nationality, or What Ever>.

==Transcript==
:Cueball: How are you?
:Megan: Trapped on the surface of a sphere.
:[A beat.]
:Cueball: That astronomy class has made you suck at small talk.
:Megan: The universe is too '''''big''''' for small talk.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Astronomy]]