this post was submitted on 29 Jul 2026
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xkcd #3278: Vera Rubin Observatory

Title text:

'Spurious signals from the kitchen' is harder for an optical telescope than a radio one, but with enough determination and creativity, I believe it's possible.

Transcript:

Transcript will show once it’s been added to explainxkcd.com

Source: https://xkcd.com/3278/

explainxkcd for #3278

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[–] deegeese@sopuli.xyz 4 points 3 weeks ago

Space (free)

[–] AnnaFrankfurter@lemmy.ml 3 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

To me Pluto will always be the 9th planet no matter what some fancy pants says it not being able to clean up its orbit. My home is also a little messy that doesn't mean it's not home.

[–] rockSlayer@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 points 3 weeks ago

Whatever you say, Jerry

[–] wolframhydroxide@sh.itjust.works 2 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

As long as you also accept Ceres, Eris and The Moon as planets, I see no contradiction. I would argue that we should still change the numbering to reflect it, though, since the moon would be the fourth planet, and Ceres the 6th, making Pluto the 11th planet.

The only reason the moon isn't a planet is because the IAU says it isn't in the definition of "planet". MinutePhysics makes a particularly excellent case for that fact, if you're interested.

The Earth/Moon system is a binary planet. Fight me, IAU sycophants.

[–] mossy_@lemmy.world 1 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

I feel like an observatory that detects space is malfunctioning. they're supposed to look past that stuff yeah?

[–] deegeese@sopuli.xyz 1 points 3 weeks ago

Staring into space is how we discovered the Hubble Deep Field.

[–] Ooops@feddit.org 0 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

That's actually dark matter they fail to see...

[–] mossy_@lemmy.world 0 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

not so much "fail to see space" as "space is an obstacle between earth and the things we want to see", similar to earth's atmosphere getting in the way

[–] Ooops@feddit.org 2 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (1 children)

No, I meant discovering that see-through area (space) by failing to find the (dark) matter expected there.

[–] mossy_@lemmy.world 1 points 3 weeks ago

I seee... figuratively speaking

[–] gedaliyah@lemmy.world 1 points 3 weeks ago

Signal from the kitchen seems more likely than a Earth sized TNO