Randall Munroe
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xkcd.com
Randall Munroe
@xkcd.com
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xkcd.com
Cost Savings

xkcd.com/3197/
Comic. [Person pointing to graph on wall, addressing two people – one with close-cropped haircut, one with shoulder-length styled haircut – seated behind a desk.] PERSON: By lowering the planned satellite orbit, we can reduce the size of the launch vehicle required. We can reduce costs further by eliminating the satellite entirely in favor of an aerial platform. Some equipment could be moved to a ground-based facility, reducing required aircraft time. Additional savings could be… [caption] I’m trying to get NASA to build a shed in my backyard.
January 24, 2026 at 3:18 AM
xkcd.com
Aurora Coolness

xkcd.com/3196/
Comic. My experience seeing the Northern Lights: [Graph: x axis is increasing time, y axis is increasing aurora coolness, going from visible glow on the horizon, color only visible in photos -> sheets and pillars of light, colors faintly visible -> “oh wow, it’s getting really bright now.” -> spectacular ribbons of color spanning the sky and illuminating the landscape. Graph shows dips and peaks over many hours with the topmost peeks for only around 5 or 10 minutes.] [caption] Aurora tip: If you get good views of the aurora, keep watching the sky; you might suddenly get great ones.
January 22, 2026 at 10:17 PM
xkcd.com
How long would you survive with no DNA?

What the latest What If? video in collaboration with
@minuteearth.bsky.social!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3oL...
How long would you survive with no DNA?
YouTube video by xkcd's What If?
www.youtube.com
January 21, 2026 at 8:27 PM
xkcd.com
International Station

xkcd.com/3195/
Comic. [Two people floating with objects surrounding them.] PERSON with ponytail: You know, NASA and Roscosmos actually originally named it The *International Station*, but a translation issue led someone to accidentally transcribe the formatting.
January 20, 2026 at 9:03 PM
xkcd.com
16-Part Epoxy

xkcd.com/3194/
Comic. Standard 16-Part Epoxy. [Epoxy applicator with multiple labeled chambers in different colors: resin; hardener; filler, softener; rosin; stuff that bonds permanently to skin and nothing else; stuff that will turn white and crack over a few days, for decorative appearance; placebo; minced duct tape; acetone Fragrance; powdered bar magnets; polyethylvinylesteracetate; 2-polyethylvinylesteracetate; salt and pepper to taste; blood sample from the Gorilla Glue gorillas; stuff that bonds to every known material except yours]
January 15, 2026 at 8:37 PM
xkcd.com
Sailing Rigs

xkcd.com/3193/
Comic: Common Sailing Rigs. [18 boats with different sail types, labeled.] Lateen; Bermuda rigged sloop; Ketch, Gaff rigged sloop; yawl; schooner; Ketch-rigged Gaff; Kloop-rigged sketch; bunkbed rig; Flettner rig; Oops, all Spinnakers; keel rig; kite rig; longsail rig; deckhand obliterator; offset rig; mastless rig; unclassifiable chaos rig.
January 13, 2026 at 11:51 PM
xkcd.com
Planetary Alignment

xkcd.com/3192/
4-panel comic. (1) PERSON 1 with ponytail: The inspection revealed a few problems. Looks like your planet needs an alignment. PERSON 2: Oh? (2) PERSON 1: Yeah, your magnetic axis is 400 miles off-center from your rotational one. PERSON 2: Is that bad? (3) PERSON 1: The unbalanced magnetic field could cause radiation anomalies over the South Atlantic. Have you noticed any spacecraft equipment failures in that area? PERSON 2: There *have* been a few, actually. (4) PERSON 1: We can give you a loaner planet while yours is in the shop. Is a gas giant OK? PERSON 2: I’d *really* prefer a solid surface. PERSON 1: Sorry, it’s all we have. But it’ll just be for a few days.
January 12, 2026 at 11:50 PM
xkcd.com
Superstition

xkcd.com/3191/
Comic. [Two adults, one with short light hair, walking with a child with spiky hair.] PERSON: Oops, I forgot to say “rabbit rabbit” on January first! CHILD: Why do you do that? PERSON: Just a superstition. CHILD: What’s a superstition? PERSON: It’s a way to train yourself to feel like any bad thing that happens is your fault.
January 9, 2026 at 5:38 AM
Reposted by Randall Munroe
petridishes.bsky.social
if you want a long read that involves udders, a hot air balloon, and some extremely dubious data on egg prices, the story I’ve been working on for the last few months where I tried to single-handedly take on every government function myself is now online! www.theatlantic.com/magazine/202...
I Tried to Be the Government. It Did Not Go Well.
My five-month quest to monitor the weather, track inflation, and inspect milk for harmful microorganisms
www.theatlantic.com
January 8, 2026 at 8:41 PM
xkcd.com
Tensegrity

xkcd.com/3190/
Comic. [Person looking at giraffe with disconnected leg segments attached by strings.] [caption] While tensegrity is rare in the animal kingdom, a few species, such as Buckminster’s Giraffe, are known to employ it.
January 7, 2026 at 7:55 PM
xkcd.com
Conic Sections

xkcd.com/3189/
Comic. [Earth next to a satellite with an orbit around the planet shaped like a dome.] [caption] All Keplerian orbits are conic sections. For example, this one uses the base of the cone.
January 5, 2026 at 8:52 PM
xkcd.com
Anyone Else Here

xkcd.com/3188/
Comic. [Comment section on a video. 564 comments, including posts from three different avatars: “Who else is here in 2023?” “Is anyone else watching this in 2017?” “Anyone else here in 2025?”] [caption] For some reason, confused time travelers always try to find each other using YouTube comments.
January 2, 2026 at 8:35 PM
xkcd.com
High Altitude Cooking Instructions

xkcd.com/3187/
Comic. [Instructions on package] High Altitude Cooking Instructions: 3,500-6,500 ft: Add ½ cup water, increase cook time to 12 minutes. 6,500-9,500 ft: Add ¼ cups water, increase cook time to 18 minutes. 250,000-450,000 ft: Orient reentry vehicle for aerodynamic stability. Deploy parachutes at 10,000 ft. Descend, keeping crew capsule tightly covered, for 3-4 minutes. After splashdown, follow sea level cooking instructions.
December 31, 2025 at 8:17 PM
xkcd.com
Truly Universal Outlet

xkcd.com/3186/
Comic. [Diagram of electrical outlet with lines indicating normal shape of holes while shapes have been changed to accommodate more shapes, with parts labeled IEC Types A-O.] [caption] Wiring tip: To make your building friendly to international visitors, cut holes in your outlet plates to make them compatible with all fifteen IEC plug types.
December 30, 2025 at 10:15 PM
xkcd.com
Sauropods

xkcd.com/3185/
Comic. [Top panel: Long-necked dinosaur with red X over it.] [Bottom panel: two smaller dinosaurs the same shape except their neck isn’t long, while in the background there’s an extremely long neck criss-crossing the frame like a snake. Green check mark in center.] [caption] Thanks to modern paleontological reconstructions, we now know that most sauropods had short necks, and all those extra vertebrae belonged to the sauropod colony’s queen.
December 29, 2025 at 9:11 PM
xkcd.com
Funny Numbers

xkcd.com/3184/
Comic. [Banner: Mathematical Society: 2025 Meeting.] PERSON 1 with bun: Any other new developments from the year to cover before we wrap? PERSON 2: Oh, the teens picked a new funny number. PERSON 3 with short hair: Aww, I’m glad to hear they’re still doing that. PERSON 4 with ponytail: I’ll add it to the list. [List: 23 (skidoo!; 42; 69; 420; 1,337; 58,008; [circled]: 67]
December 26, 2025 at 10:44 PM
xkcd.com
Pole Vault Pole

xkcd.com/3183/
Comic. [Person running on a giant round toward a pole vaulting crossbar; a long pole bent in an arch from the ground, over the crossbar, to the ground again, with person climbing it upside down over the crossbar; person runs to catch up with a long poll rolled into a circle and tied that is rolling toward the crossbar, jumps to catch it, hanging off as it spins, and then is flung over the crossbar when it approaches.] [caption] Fun fact: There are no limits on the length or diameter of the pole in pole vault.
December 23, 2025 at 8:39 PM
xkcd.com
Telescope Types

xkcd.com/3182/
Comic: Telescope Types. Prime focus, Herschelian, Newtonian, Galilean, Keplerian, Gregorian, Cassegrain, Cardboard tube, Kaleido, Liquid Mirror, Narcissism, Gravitational, Geological [arrow points to piece with label “TV playing THE CORE (2003).”
December 22, 2025 at 9:04 PM
xkcd.com
Jumping Frog Radius

xkcd.com/3181/
Comic. [Equation [rjf = 2GM / (4.5 m/s)2] with small drawing showing a circle with the radius delineated. On top of the circle there is an arc showing a small frog jumping and landing with RIBBIT and PLOP sound effects.] [caption] More practically useful than the Schwarzschild radius, the *Jumping Frog Radius* is the radius at which an object’s gravitational pull is so strong that even a champion jumping frog can’t escape.
December 18, 2025 at 9:17 PM
xkcd.com
Apples

xkcd.com/3180/
Comic. [Two people one one side of a pile of seven apples, next to person with long hair next to five apples.] PERSON: Okay, with my seven apples added to your five, we have… let’s se… twelve apples! PERSON 2 [with hands raised]: Incredible! Perfect agreement with the theory! [caption] Experimental Mathematicians
December 16, 2025 at 8:08 PM
xkcd.com
Fishing

xkcd.com/3179/
Comic. [Two people, one with ponytail and one with beret, sitting on a boat fishing. Below the water, the person with the beret’s fishing line has caught on a large rock on the bottom.] PERSON with beret: It feels like a big one! At least 10^24 kilograms!
December 15, 2025 at 8:29 PM
xkcd.com
Hyperacute Interdynamics

xkcd.com/3178/
4-panel comic. (1) [Teacher with medium-length hair talking to students at desks.] TEACHER: Modern physics rests on three main pillars: General relativity, which describes very massive objects, (2) TEACHER: quantum mechanics, which describes very small objects, (3) TEACHER: and hyperacute interdynamics, which describes objects 10-30cm in size and 200-700g in mass. (4) STUDENT [from off-panel]: That last one seems kind of limited. TEACHER: Yeah, but over its domain, it’s *really* precise. Absolutely *nails* squirrels and grapefruit. Someday we hope to unify it with the other two.
December 11, 2025 at 11:00 PM
xkcd.com
Chessboard Alignment

xkcd.com/3177/
Comic. [Three chess games next to each other. There is a diagonal yellow grid highlight from the pawn in the top left corner of the third chessboard to the bottom of the middle chessboard where there’s a clear path. The player positioned near that bottom section has moved to look at the third chessboard.] [caption] It doesn’t happen often because it requires micrometer precision, but if two chess boards are *perfectly* aligned, it’s actually legal to move pieces between them.
December 9, 2025 at 9:14 PM
xkcd.com
Inverted Catenaries

xkcd.com/3176/
Comic. [Two people walking together as inverted catenary curves fall around them.] PERSON: Oh wow, the first inverted catenary fall of the year! Time to swap out my all-season tires for square ones.
December 8, 2025 at 6:41 PM
xkcd.com
Website Task Flowchart

xkcd.com/3175/
Comic. Doing a task using a company or organization’s website: [flowchart] Go to website, try to log in → Did it work? → Yes → Try to do your task. → Did it work? Yes → Nice! Done! If logging in did not work → Spend hours troubleshooting account / login. If that works, go to Try to do your task. If no → Give up and call customer service. If spending hours troubleshooting doesn’t work, also give up and call customer service. After calling customer service: Hold message: “Did you know you could do all this more quickly and easily on our website? Just go to w-w-w dot…” → Throw phone and laptop into the sea.
December 4, 2025 at 10:33 PM