Editing 2524: Comet Visitor

{{w|C/2014 UN271 (Bernardinelli-Bernstein)|Comet C/2014 UN₂₇₁}} is a large comet that was discovered in 2014 almost as far from the Sun as the orbit of Neptune, and it will reach its closest approach in 2031, near Saturn's orbit. It's an {{w|Oort Cloud}} comet, with a period of more than 4 million years. Since modern humans ({{w|homo sapiens}}) evolved about 300,000 years ago (although tool-making ancestors were around about 2.5 million years ago), the last time it was among the planets was long before humans evolved.

When a long-period comet comes into the inner Solar System, it's often figuratively called a "visit". But Megan and Cueball treat this more literally. Just as one usually neatens up their home when they're expecting guests, to make a good impression, they realize they need to clean up the Earth and its vicinity in preparation for this "visitor". Cueball starts handing out assignments -- he'll clean up the {{w|Pacific Garbage Patch}}, and suggests that Megan take care of all the {{w|Space debris|debris in orbit}}. It's also common to put some useful objects out of view without throwing them away (perhaps to prevent someone damaging them), planning on returning them to their normal place after the visit; Cueball suggests doing this with the [[:Category:Mars rovers|Mars rovers]]. And he suggests sweeping up the footprints that NASA astronauts left on the Moon during the Apollo missions. However, since the comet will never be anywhere near Earth and Mars, all this hardly seems necessary; it would be like cleaning up your home because the President or some other dignitary will be somewhere in the same metropolitan area (now do you understand, mom?!). Furthermore, sweeping footprints in the Moon, that Cueball sees as a way of tidying up, would be seen as [https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/nasa-looks-to-protect-historic-sites-on-the-moon-47186092/ destroying an invaluable archaeological sites by NASA and other people].

Alternatively, Megan and Cueball aren't "cleaning up" for a visitor as one might do if the visitor was a friend of theirs.  They're [[1377|hiding themselves and contraband]] as one might due if they were worried the police were visiting.