Talk:1248: Sphere

More specifically,a geoid.--Guru-45 (talk) 08:51, 7 August 2013 (UTC)

Astronomers observe objects in the sky, not the Earth.--Dgbrt (talk) 11:19, 7 August 2013 (UTC)

Astronomers live on the surface of the Earth, not on the surface of the sky (celestial sphere). 167.107.191.217 13:25, 7 August 2013 (UTC)

Are you sure “Sphere” refers to “hemisphere” and not simply to earth? After all, she’s trapped on earth and not on the celestial sphere. Quoti (talk) 11:24, 7 August 2013 (UTC)

It's the hemisphere, see my comment above.--Dgbrt (talk) 11:46, 7 August 2013 (UTC)

I'm assuming you're referring to the "light-sphere" whose origin lies at the astronomer's location, and thus the universe always being bigger than the places he can physically visit. Still though, the statement "They can't travel to the places they observe" isn't accurate. We've been to the moon for instance. And then of course, there are always the unknown unknowns of the universe and interstellar travel. 220.224.246.97 12:19, 7 August 2013 (UTC)

The fact that we, the human race, have been to the moon is no comfort to anyone who's seen the wonders revealed by the HST (which isn't even suitable for inspecting the moon). We are, indeed, "trapped" here on Earth, into the foreseeable future. — tbc (talk) 13:22, 7 August 2013 (UTC)

I read it as earth. It's a sphere and we're all trapped on its surface and astronomy classes make you aware of this fact more than your everyday experiences. Also, doesn't "hemisphere" mean "half sphere"? like northern and southern hemisphere of the earth? Peter (talk) 12:48, 7 August 2013 (UTC)

Do we maybe have a reference to 1246? 217.81.31.20 11:37, 7 August 2013 (UTC)

That comic belongs more to space science than to astronomers.--Dgbrt (talk) 11:46, 7 August 2013 (UTC)

I'm sure the sphere is Earth. We don't live on the surface of the universe. Everybody in http://forums.xkcd.com/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=104172 agrees. 167.107.191.217 13:12, 7 August 2013 (UTC)

"This totally occupies her mind, and she feels frustrated that she can only learn about those mind-boggling places, and not visit them herself." Wow. She must have been in a class? She's "totally" occupied? She's frustrated? (Not wistful, or resigned, or just aware of a fact mind you.) She isn't just thinking about the size of space, but apparently really, really wants to actually travel there. (To where, exactly? What "mind boggling" places? "Space"? Seems rather general.) You got all that deep and specific feeling from just her using the word "trapped"? Looks like reading a lot into things, to me. CFoxx (talk) 15:53, 7 August 2013 (UTC)