Alt text:
Astronomers are a little unsure of the applicability of this index, but NASA’s Planetary Protection Officer is all in favor.
Submitted 6 months ago by randomaccount43543@lemmy.world to xkcd@lemmy.world
https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/moon_armor_index_2x.png
Alt text:
Astronomers are a little unsure of the applicability of this index, but NASA’s Planetary Protection Officer is all in favor.
Interesting mix of kilometers and inches…
As a Canadian, this just seems normal to me.
When do we get to start using kiloinches?
I heard Everest is actually exactly 348 KI, they just thought 348.324 KI sounded more accurate
Putting on our moon armour could solve a lot of problems. It’s not my most favourite solution though.
PS: gonggong?!
Sounds like someone who didn’t learn healthy coping mechanisms.
Ah, it is Chinese, interesting. I’m guessing it’s not the gonggong in 公共汽车, because that’s a bus.
These characters have multiple entirely different meanings. How does one find out what the supposed meaning is?
The old guy from everything everywhere all at once
Not bad, Jupiter. Considering you have 120x the surface area of earth, that’s a lot of moons.
See Marco Inaros was just trying to give those inners some extra planet armor.
Salacia sounds like what they’d call Risa in the porn version of Star Trek
I mean this does have a practical application, I think. The relative masses of moons to planets does imply the moons ability to sweep junk out of the way before it hits the planet.
This is not based on mass but on volume. For example the moon is only 1% of the earth’s mass yet considerably less dense therefore it makes a large layer.
*imply
Sure. By even the density/mechanical properites of armor will affect its usefulness. Beyond simple thickness.
Finally, Earth is Number One again (well Number Two if you count Pluto, that is)
That was why we told pluto it couldn’t be in the club anymore.
Pluto-charon shouldn’t count since it is more akin to a binary planetary system than a planet-moon system. Charon and Pluto are so close in size that the system has a barycenter outside of Pluto. This means instead of Charon orbiting a point inside Pluto, Charon and Pluto orbit a point about 800 km above Pluto’s surface.
That’s why we live here; the moon protects us!
Mercury in shambles
kernelle@0d.gs 6 months ago
One of my all-time favourite facts is that there is that solar eclipses are actually a very rare thing to happen in space. There is no reason why but our moon just happens to be the right size/distance to have this happen.
I’ve never seen one in person, but the next one is on the 8th of April crossing Mexico and the US. If you have the chance and are able, go check it out, if only to gloat on an internet stranger longing for his first total eclipse.
nyctre@lemmy.world 6 months ago
Saw one when I was 9 like 20 years ago. Still one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen. Definitely worth a trip if you can.
carbonari_sandwich@lemm.ee 6 months ago
And keep in mind that the difference between a total eclipse and a partial eclipse is massive. It’s worth it to find a spot that is in the line of totality.
Skua@kbin.earth 6 months ago
One passed over my area while I was at university, and the professor whose class we were meant to be in just said the day beforehand that he wasn't even going to bother scheduling anything for the first hour because he didn't expect anyone to be in. There's a famous hill-top cemetery in the city, and sure enough I saw basically all of my classmates there too
topinambour_rex@lemmy.world 6 months ago
As Moon is slowly moving away, at some point in the future there will be no more full eclipse. And there is 2 full eclipse by year !
MonkderZweite@feddit.ch 6 months ago
Nah, it’s just a moving away, then moving closer again thing over millions of years. Balance between gravity and centrifugal force.
Tylix@lemmy.world 6 months ago
I’m gonna be dead center for it here in Ohio, so excited. Got my welding helmet ready to watch it and the day off.
kernelle@0d.gs 6 months ago
Fuck yes, enjoy bud. I’ve read people not using high enough rated welding goggles and getting eye damage though. I’d stay on the safe side and get appropriate solar eclipse glasses. You’ll be looking directly at the sun for several minutes after all.