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xkcd #2849: Under the Stars (imgs.xkcd.com)

submitted 1 year ago by randomaccount43543 to c/xkcd

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https://xkcd.com/2849

Alt text:

If you live in Los Angeles (around 33°52'N, roughly the latitude of Hermosa Beach) the black hole in V404 Cygni passes over you each day. On Christmas Day it will be directly overhead around 2pm.

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[–] [email protected] 24 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy has an alien species that evolved on a planet (Krikkit)with constant thick dust clouds.

Upon first witnessing the glory and splendor of the Universe, they casually, whimsically, decided to destroy it, remarking, "It'll have to go." (...) the Krikkiters built an incredible battlefleet and waged a massive war against the entire Universe. The Galaxy, then in an era of relative peace, was unprepared, and spent the next 2,000 years fighting the Krikkiters in a war that resulted in about two "grillion" casualties

Isaac Asimov also mused about ribbon worlds. ie tidally locked planets with a habitable zone in the twilight regions.

I seem to recall also reading a story about a species on a ribbon world but because of precession had a 10,000 year (or so) day. They had a constant slow migration and eventually started finding the ancient forgotten ruins of their own society.

Also nightfall by Asimov.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Can you remember the name of that 10000 year book? It's been ages since I've read some hard science of the type

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I'm sure I read it online it might have just been a scifi writing prompt from the site that must not be named (reddit).

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

I'm glad Asimov also thought of The Long Street or Eternal Dusk I wondered how wide the strip of settleable territory might be, say on a earth-sized tide-locked planet.

The moon is tide-locked to the earth, but wobbles back and forth, so a tide locked world might also have a day / season cycle where the fringes get extra hot / cold.