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xkcd Bot @xkcd-bot.bsky.social · 12/10/2026

Rejected Space Mission Profiles xkcd.com/3310 (alt-text too long for a BlueSky message, see image alt-text instead) Explain xkcd: www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/…

Although NASA agreed that Voyager 2 'seemed lonely' they decided against launching a companion orbiter mission after further measurements indicated that the spacecraft actually preferred the peace and quiet.

040

xkcd Bot @xkcd-bot.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

Dogcatcher xkcd.com/3309 People out here catching strays out here catching strays Explain xkcd: www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/…

060

xkcd Bot @xkcd-bot.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Juice xkcd.com/3308 I need to push some updates to the remote sensing instruments, which are there to measure the surface and definitely not do anything else. Explain xkcd: www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/…

I need to push some updates to the remote sensing instruments, which are there to measure the surface and definitely not do anything else.

060

xkcd Bot @xkcd-bot.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Spectrum Allocation xkcd.com/3307 Rumor has it that they're finally auctioning off the zeppelin navigation bands, but everyone is worried that the scary boat captains will express interest. Explain xkcd: www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/…

Rumor has it that they're finally auctioning off the zeppelin navigation bands, but everyone is worried that the scary boat captains will express interest.

061

xkcd Bot @xkcd-bot.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Accelerator Energies xkcd.com/3306 Fans at Daytona always get extra excited when officials decide to introduce some antimatter cars circling the track in the opposite direction. Explain xkcd: www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/…

Fans at Daytona always get extra excited when officials decide to introduce some antimatter cars circling the track in the opposite direction.

094

xkcd Bot @xkcd-bot.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Ground Effect xkcd.com/3305 Runners looking for aerodynamic advantage typically wear sneakers because some fancy dress shoes can create wingtip vortices. Explain xkcd: www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/…

Runners looking for aerodynamic advantage typically wear sneakers because some fancy dress shoes can create wingtip vortices.

0102

xkcd Bot @xkcd-bot.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer xkcd.com/3304 "I did briefly visit Venus in August 2025, but I figured out the mistake on my own because it didn't have any moons." Explain xkcd: www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/…

"I did briefly visit Venus in August 2025, but I figured out the mistake on my own because it didn't have any moons."

063

xkcd Bot @xkcd-bot.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Slab Graveyard xkcd.com/3303 It's ok if you want to close close your eyes for the slab graveyard, so you can still have fun riding the mantle plume back up afterward! Explain xkcd: www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/…

It's ok if you want to close close your eyes for the slab graveyard, so you can still have fun riding the mantle plume back up afterward!

030

xkcd Bot @xkcd-bot.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Voyager Instruments xkcd.com/3302 Convincing him to turn off the stupid laser show and useless sound system was such a huge ordeal that no one has wanted to do it again. Explain xkcd: www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/…

Convincing him to turn off the stupid laser show and useless sound system was such a huge ordeal that no one has wanted to do it again.

053

xkcd Bot @xkcd-bot.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Stargazing 5 xkcd.com/3301 (alt-text too long for a BlueSky message, see image alt-text instead) Explain xkcd: www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/…

The sun and the moon appear the same size in the sky, even though in real life the sun is more than twice as big. Some call this lucky alignment coincidence; others say it's proof that sometimes things can be the same size.

070

xkcd Bot @xkcd-bot.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Tyrannosaurus xkcd.com/3300 Many of the smaller dinosaurs seem to have largely preyed on housecats. Explain xkcd: www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/…

060

xkcd Bot @xkcd-bot.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Summer xkcd.com/3299 You should probably get back to shore before spring hits. Explain xkcd: www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/…

070

xkcd Bot @xkcd-bot.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Aerospace Flowchart xkcd.com/3298 Someday, we will find the problem that goes with this solution. Explain xkcd: www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/…

052

xkcd Bot @xkcd-bot.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

OH Scale xkcd.com/3297 To access distant parts of the project, I ended up building a regular-scale passenger train inside each rail. Explain xkcd: www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/…

090

xkcd Bot @xkcd-bot.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Fault Taunting xkcd.com/3296 One of the first things they teach you is to NEVER play with the geology toy over a mantle hotspot. Explain xkcd: www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/…

030

xkcd Bot @xkcd-bot.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Semaphore xkcd.com/3295 The speed of light in air is 50% faster than in fiber, but it's a challenge to get the arms to move fast enough to realize the latency advantage. Explain xkcd: www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/…

The speed of light in air is 50% faster than in fiber, but it's a challenge to get the arms to move fast enough to realize the latency advantage.

0101

xkcd Bot @xkcd-bot.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

Asteroid Mission xkcd.com/3294 Lander, this is Houston. There's been a request that you turn clipping back on and instead set the mass to 1kg. The theorists believe that will be pretty funny. Explain xkcd: www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/…

Lander, this is Houston. There's been a request that you turn clipping back on and instead set the mass to 1kg. The theorists believe that will be pretty funny.

031

xkcd Bot @xkcd-bot.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Handedness xkcd.com/3293 A 'left-handed specialist' is a physicist who studies the weak interaction. Explain xkcd: www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/…

050

xkcd Bot @xkcd-bot.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Geology Class xkcd.com/3292 The rise of AI review bombing tools threatens to take away a crucial source of experience for geology undergraduates. Explain xkcd: www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/…

The rise of AI review bombing tools threatens to take away a crucial source of experience for geology undergraduates.

080

xkcd Bot @xkcd-bot.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Launchpad xkcd.com/3291 It does come at the cost of some launchpad expansions and increased fuel requirements, but that all comes out of the facility's budget. Explain xkcd: www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/…

It does come at the cost of some launchpad expansions and increased fuel requirements, but that all comes out of the facility's budget.

051

xkcd Bot @xkcd-bot.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Trade xkcd.com/3290 (alt-text too long for a BlueSky message, see image alt-text instead) Explain xkcd: www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/…

"You legs may have a comparative advantage at running, but we arms have a competitive advantage at swinging hammers, so unless you accept that we're the dominant limbs and stop hogging the oxygen, that running advantage won't be around for long."

0118

xkcd Bot @xkcd-bot.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Highway Signs xkcd.com/3289 Highway engineers like Planck units because, like the speed of light, the energy capacity of a typical car's gas tank is 1. Explain xkcd: www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/…

Highway engineers like Planck units because, like the speed of light, the energy capacity of a typical car's gas tank is 1.

071

xkcd Bot @xkcd-bot.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

Archery Feat xkcd.com/3288 Update: I would not have embarked on this powerscaling venture if I'd known how thoroughly Mark Twain was going to roast me. Explain xkcd: www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/…

Update: I would not have embarked on this powerscaling venture if I'd known how thoroughly Mark Twain was going to roast me.

170

xkcd Bot @xkcd-bot.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

Perseids xkcd.com/3287 Recently I've been watching the Daytime Perseids. I haven't seen a meteor from them yet, but the clouds are pretty and the snacks are good. Explain xkcd: www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/…

Recently I've been watching the Daytime Perseids. I haven't seen a meteor from them yet, but the clouds are pretty and the snacks are good.

051

xkcd Bot @xkcd-bot.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

Particle Physics Equipment xkcd.com/3286 The one that sounds like the oracle at the center of the galaxy where the hero travels to hear a prophecy is probably Brookhaven National Laboratory's now-dismantled COSMOTRON. Explain xkcd: www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/…

The one that sounds like the oracle at the center of the galaxy where the hero travels to hear a prophecy is probably Brookhaven National Laboratory's now-dismantled COSMOTRON.

071

xkcd Bot @xkcd-bot.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

Accretionary Arc xkcd.com/3285 The late Triassic rifting was caused by a dinosaur trying to use the control panel to escape a predator, but it was eaten before the continent could fully separate. Explain xkcd: www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/…

The late Triassic rifting was caused by a dinosaur trying to use the control panel to escape a predator, but it was eaten before the continent could fully separate.

080

xkcd Bot @xkcd-bot.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

Geology Building xkcd.com/3284 The administration thinks it's weird, but the geologists say it looks normal. Explain xkcd: www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/…

0100

xkcd Bot @xkcd-bot.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

Size and Lifespan xkcd.com/3283 With their 13 years recording and performing together and two humans worth of mass, the White Stripes are sandwiched neatly between gray wolves and blue whales. Explain xkcd: www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/…

With their 13 years recording and performing together and two humans worth of mass, the White Stripes are sandwiched neatly between gray wolves and blue whales.

071

xkcd Bot @xkcd-bot.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

Trick Play xkcd.com/3282 I've been trying to find out whether the Laws of the Game take the axiom of choice or not, but FIFA officials keep blocking my number. Explain xkcd: www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/…

I've been trying to find out whether the Laws of the Game take the axiom of choice or not, but FIFA officials keep blocking my number.

052

xkcd Bot @xkcd-bot.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

Antiques Roadshow xkcd.com/3281 (alt-text too long for a BlueSky message, see image alt-text instead) Explain xkcd: www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/…

The family lore was that we've had it ever since it was ejected from a star-forming gas cloud, but it seems more likely that my great-grandparents probably just bought it while on vacation in the galactic thin disk.

06524

xkcd Bot @xkcd-bot.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

Maze xkcd.com/3280 As a side effect of the research, mice are now the only known animals other than humans to have developed a Backrooms mythology. Explain xkcd: www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/…

050

xkcd Bot @xkcd-bot.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

Main Span xkcd.com/3279 Wind stress? Don't be silly. When has wind stress ever been a problem for a suspension bridge? Explain xkcd: www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/…

0100

xkcd Bot @xkcd-bot.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

Vera Rubin Observatory xkcd.com/3278 '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. Explain xkcd: www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/…

'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.

032

xkcd Bot @xkcd-bot.bsky.social · 25/07/2026

Recursive Trucker's Hitch xkcd.com/3276 As if the americium smoke detector incident wasn't enough, now nuclear regulators have ANOTHER reason to worry about the Boy Scouts. Explain xkcd: www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/…

As if the americium smoke detector incident wasn't enough, now nuclear regulators have ANOTHER reason to worry about the Boy Scouts.

0100

xkcd Bot @xkcd-bot.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

Calibration Nobel xkcd.com/3275 We would like to once again apologize to Dr. Jones for last year's mistaken announcement. We should really have double-checked the envelope for this award in particular. Explain xkcd: www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/…

We would like to once again apologize to Dr. Jones for last year's mistaken announcement. We should really have double-checked the envelope for this award in particular.

0121

xkcd Bot @xkcd-bot.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

Arthurian Connector xkcd.com/3274 (alt-text too long for a BlueSky message, see image alt-text instead) Explain xkcd: www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/…

Most coffee shops have a descendant of Sophia of Hanover on staff for this, but just as I was about to ask for help, a previously unknown heir of Uther Pendragon who was ordering a muffin tripped on my laptop cord.

082

xkcd Bot @xkcd-bot.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

Latitude and Longitude xkcd.com/3273 NGS and IERS are complaining that they left CLEAR instructions to set the washing machine to WGS84 (G2296) instead of WGS84 (G730). Explain xkcd: www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/…

NGS and IERS are complaining that they left CLEAR instructions to set the washing machine to WGS84 (G2296) instead of WGS84 (G730).

060

xkcd Bot @xkcd-bot.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

Time Change xkcd.com/3272 (alt-text too long for a BlueSky message, see image alt-text instead) Explain xkcd: www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/…

All discussions of daylight saving time policy are doomed by a mix of contradictory, inconsistent, and impossible preferences, which is why I think the only thing we can really hope to do is to make it worse.

090

xkcd Bot @xkcd-bot.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

The Princess and the Pea xkcd.com/3271 Once we've fully explored this space, we can start varying the number of princesses. Explain xkcd: www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/…

050

xkcd Bot @xkcd-bot.bsky.social · 11/07/2026

Toasting Marshmallows xkcd.com/3270 (alt-text too long for a BlueSky message, see image alt-text instead) Explain xkcd: www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/…

We have two 'in case of fire, break glass' boxes, which you pick between based on how big of a problem the fire is. One has an extinguisher, and one has sticks, marshmallows, graham crackers, and chocolate.

082

xkcd Bot @xkcd-bot.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

Airport Meeting xkcd.com/3269 (alt-text too long for a BlueSky message, see image alt-text instead) Explain xkcd: www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/…

Although it was a setback for physics, I'm glad the particle naming rights issue led to the cancelation of Pizza Hut's Superconducting Super Collider in the early 90s, so the Double Stuffed Extra Cheese Topping Quark ended up just being named 'top quark.'

080

xkcd Bot @xkcd-bot.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

Offside xkcd.com/3268 The arbiter gave my knight a red card for capturing with cleats up :( Explain xkcd: www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/…

0152

xkcd Bot @xkcd-bot.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

Types of Tornado Alert xkcd.com/3267 I hate the unearthly sound my phone makes when the weather service issues a tornado harbinger. Explain xkcd: www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/…

0130

xkcd Bot @xkcd-bot.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

Holes xkcd.com/3266 If you're thinking 'Wait, a giant crystal cave in Mexico? What's that?' then I'm SO excited for the image search you're about to do. Explain xkcd: www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/…

071

xkcd Bot @xkcd-bot.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

Asteroid Threat xkcd.com/3265 Paleontologists have long worried that the dinosaurs blasted into space 66 million years ago will one day complete their orbits and fall back down. Explain xkcd: www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/…

Paleontologists have long worried that the dinosaurs blasted into space 66 million years ago will one day complete their orbits and fall back down.

0110

xkcd Bot @xkcd-bot.bsky.social · 27/06/2026

720 Ollie xkcd.com/3264 This discovery was key to his demonstration of regular/goofy symmetry violation, which won him gold in the theory portion of the X Games. Explain xkcd: www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/…

This discovery was key to his demonstration of regular/goofy symmetry violation, which won him gold in the theory portion of the X Games.

090

xkcd Bot @xkcd-bot.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

Baryon Asymmetry xkcd.com/3263 Wait, what do you mean, 'dark matter'? It's not dark, it interacts with high-energy gamma rays ... right? Oh jeez, did I forget to make it interact? Explain xkcd: www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/…

Wait, what do you mean, 'dark matter'? It's not dark, it interacts with high-energy gamma rays ... right? Oh jeez, did I forget to make it interact?

092

xkcd Bot @xkcd-bot.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

Sports Commentary xkcd.com/3262 The plural of anecdote may not be data, but the singular of data is anecdote. Explain xkcd: www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/…

0112

xkcd Bot @xkcd-bot.bsky.social · 20/06/2026

Side Effect xkcd.com/3261 Brace yourself--the chirp gets pretty weird. Explain xkcd: www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/…

081