Editing 2524: Comet Visitor
Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.
The edit can be undone.
Please check the comparison below to verify that this is what you want to do, and then save the changes below to finish undoing the edit.
Latest revision | Your text | ||
Line 8: | Line 8: | ||
==Explanation== | ==Explanation== | ||
− | {{w|C/2014 UN271 (Bernardinelli-Bernstein)|Comet C/2014 UN<sub>271</sub>}} 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 | + | {{incomplete|Created by a PACIFIC MOON FOOT-PATCH - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}} |
+ | {{w|C/2014 UN271 (Bernardinelli-Bernstein)|Comet C/2014 UN<sub>271</sub>}} 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 indeed 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 (or perhaps more sarcastically). 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}} | + | 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 (or perhaps more sarcastically). 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?!). In addition, while a dignitary would theoretically be able to see one's house, although comets have {{w|comet tails|tails}}, they do not have eyes,{{Citation needed}} so they would not be able to perceive any difference between Earth before and after tidying up (even if the {{w|comet nucleus|nucleus}} had an eye, it would not be able to see because it is in a {{w|Coma (cometary)|coma}}). 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]. |
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | However, since the comet will | ||
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 do if they were worried the police were visiting. Or more likely in this context that it could be an alien visit, and they would like to make it difficult to spot the human civilization from space. In that case they might need to shut down all light in every big city on Earth as well. | 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 do if they were worried the police were visiting. Or more likely in this context that it could be an alien visit, and they would like to make it difficult to spot the human civilization from space. In that case they might need to shut down all light in every big city on Earth as well. | ||
Line 21: | Line 18: | ||
==Transcript== | ==Transcript== | ||
+ | {{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}} | ||
:[Megan sits at a desk in front of a computer, looking to the left off-panel and pointing at the screen] | :[Megan sits at a desk in front of a computer, looking to the left off-panel and pointing at the screen] |