# ­xkcd thread **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** comic-strips\ **Created:** [May 28, 2020, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574 "2020-05-28T00:57:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 273
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2026, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/5443 "2026-01-20T16:51:29Z")
OK, the Northern Lights are hit-or-miss; you can’t ever guarantee seeing them. But sometime, at least go far enough out into the country that you can see the Milky Way. All you need for that is clear skies. ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2026, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/5444 "2026-01-20T17:49:46Z")
I’ve seen three (!) total eclipses, the northern lights many times since I was a kid - living in Minnesota helps - and just this morning, beautiful sun dogs. The color of sun dogs is almost like the “color” of a eclipse. I’m waiting for a great - real HUGE - comet one of these days. I’m jealous of the late 1800s when there was a large number of them. We’re overdue! ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2026, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/5445 "2026-01-20T18:02:44Z")
If you live far enough north or south, they’re probably hard to avoid if you get away from city lights. The perceived rarity and specialness is only for the denizens of the mid-latitudes, for the rare times the auroral extent pushes far enough from the magnetic poles to hove into our view. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2026, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/5446 "2026-01-20T21:03:36Z")
The first time I saw the Northern Lights, I didn’t realize it until days later. I was flying home on a red eye from Seattle, and in the wee hours, somewhere over Montana, I looked down and saw a city. The major streets were lit with yellow sodium lights, and there were minor streets lit with more greenish lights. There were a couple of blank spots (parks? woods? And what could’ve been a river…), but it looked very geometric. Later that week, it was still nagging at me, so I checked flight routes and maps… and there was nothing between Great Falls and Sidney, where we crossed the border with North Dakota. And I checked our altitude; that would’ve had to have been a sprawling city. It took an embarrassingly long time to dawn on me, because it never occurred to me that people could see the Aurora… from above. ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2026, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/5447 "2026-01-20T21:17:26Z")
> [@markn\_1](#): > > Reminds me of one of my favorite smbc comics: > > [https://www.smbc-comics.com/comics/1542039316-20181112.png](https://www.smbc-comics.com/comics/1542039316-20181112.png) I don’t get it. Why would his last words be “GODDAMMIT DAD”? Isn’t he talking to his son? ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2026, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/5448 "2026-01-20T21:22:06Z")
Getting rid of you DNA is contraindicated: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/s3oLIDaElaE/maxresdefault.jpg "How long would you survive with no DNA?") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3oLIDaElaE) Love the flowchart — you may have to single step to see it all. Brian ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2026, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/5449 "2026-01-20T21:23:05Z")
> [@digs](#): > > It took an embarrassingly long time to dawn on me, because it never occurred to me that people could see the Aurora… from above. …I don’t think you can, at least in an ordinary airplane. But you might have been over some body of water, and seeing a reflection. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2026, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/5450 "2026-01-20T22:04:22Z")
> [@robby](#): > > I don’t get it. Why would his last words be “GODDAMMIT DAD”? Isn’t he talking to his son? No, his last words were “His last words. Literally that. Literally this sentence” It’s a prank on his son. If anyone asks his lasts words, the son will have to say: “His last words were his last words …” the “Goddamit dad” is an expression of annoyance at the father, not repeating his words. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2026, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/5451 "2026-01-21T00:19:33Z")
As @Chronos said. The aurora are happening 50 miles above the surface, not the 6 or 7 miles an airliner cruises at. You can’t see aurora looking down. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2026, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/5452 "2026-01-21T00:27:39Z")
Hmmm… thanks for the info. I’d buy the above reflection theory. If not, what the hell did I see? Oh, crap… Am I going to be disappeared now, for seeing the Top-Secret City That Becomes Uncloaked For An Hour Each Month For Spaceships Landing? Hey, U. S. or Alien Generals, you know I was just joking around, right? ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2026, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/5453 "2026-01-22T06:20:07Z")
You can if you get high enough… > **[Russian cosmonaut captures stunning aurora over Earth](https://www.bbc.com/news/videos/cn40027nej0o)** > > Cosmonaut Sergey Kud-Sverchkov captured the lights over Earth during one of the largest solar storms in more than 20 years. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2026, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/5454 "2026-01-22T06:39:58Z")
> **[Cost Savings](https://xkcd.com/3197/)** [![](https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/cost_savings.png) ](https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/cost_savings.png) “Unfortunately, my scheme to trick NASA has now taken over a decade longer than planned and has run way over budget.” ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2026, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/5455 "2026-01-22T06:51:49Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > > [@robby](#): > > > > I don’t get it. Why would his last words be “GODDAMMIT DAD”? Isn’t he talking to his son? > > No, his last words were “His last words. Literally that. Literally this sentence” > > It’s a prank on his son. If anyone asks his lasts words, the son will have to say: “His last words were his last words …” > > the “Goddamit dad” is an expression of annoyance at the father, not repeating his words. Yeah I didn’t get this one either, at first. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2026, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/5456 "2026-01-22T07:19:18Z")
Do you understand it now? Or more discussion required? ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2026, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/5457 "2026-01-22T08:00:53Z")
Yeah as I said I didn’t get it at first. But then I did. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2026, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/5458 "2026-01-22T14:06:59Z")
Thank you for an awesome pic & cite! I had intended to ETA my post with a pic from orbit, but ran out of edit time before I found a nice one. What you found is vastly better than anything I found. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2026, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/5459 "2026-01-22T14:21:06Z")
Pleasure. It’s been doing the rounds the recently, and understandably so. Fairly jealous of N Hemisphere people with much easier access to see the good auroras than we do. Maybe this current storm… ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2026, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/5460 "2026-01-22T14:28:53Z")
Northern Hemisphere people also get most meteor showers and (lately) total eclipses, it’s not fair man. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2026, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/5461 "2026-01-22T14:53:52Z")
[![](https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/cost_savings.png) ](https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/cost_savings.png) > Unfortunately, my scheme to trick NASA has now taken over a decade longer than planned and has run way over budget. > **[Cost Savings](https://xkcd.com/3197/)** ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2026, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/5462 "2026-01-22T15:12:36Z")
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