Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson for April 26, 2015

The best way to deal with reality: ignore it.

Nighttime feels more relaxing when your on a plane. (In my opinion that is.)

If you really want to see a night sky in all its magnificence, go out into the desert away from any settlement. The absence of light and the absence of moisture in the air will produce the clearest view you have ever enjoyed. You will be overwhelmed by the sight of the Milky Way. Even more so when you consider that it is but one, and an unremarkable one at that, of billions of galaxies in the universe. We are utterly insignificant in the grand scheme of things; an incredibly fortunate species that came into existence at just the right moment in time, in just the right place in all of Creation, under just the right set of circumstances. If we screw it up through war or stupidity, there will be no memorial, no regret, no memory of us whatsoever. Nothing and no one will care that we are gone or that we ever existed.

Wasn’t this the strip that was recently posted for a bit and then pulled down?

Happy 25th Hubble Space Telescope!

It’s better outside!!

That old ostrich has nothing on us, huh, Calvin?

This is the Sunday strip that was accidentally posted by GoComics on Thursday, April 16th. Later that day, they posted the correct daily strip, which contains some great artwork by Bill Watterson. If you missed it, be sure to check it out:Click here: http://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes/2015/04/16

To view the following strips in the archive and help GoComics generate revenue, please click on the blue archive links below. To view the strips directly, click on the images below or stretch them.Today’s Calvin and Hobbes strip contains a theme that is very common among cartoonists. Charles Schulz used it many times in Peanuts, in the days before modern cosmology and before some of the modern light pollution made it more rare for many people to experience the majesty of the nighttime sky. Here are a couple of examples:Peanuts: August 3, 1955Peanuts (September 7, 1957)Here is Tom Wilson using the same theme in Ziggy, 20 years later. Since it is a universal human theme, one cannot assume that he simply copied the idea from Peanuts.Ziggy (December 9, 1975)Finally, here are a couple of examples from another cartoonist who used this theme a lot. His name was Bill Watterson.Calvin and Hobbes (October 16, 1990)Calvin and Hobbes (April 14, 1991)

For everyone, seeing the night sky through modern eyes, absent light pollution, should be an incredible scientific experience. For some, it is also an incredible religious experience. And for many who are in the latter group, the two experiences are not mutually exclusive.

For a rare opportunity to see the night sky as it was meant to be seen, with very little light pollution, and to be accompanied by a professional astronomer, visit Kitt Peak in Tucson, Arizona by registering for a nighttime visit. Choose a time of the month around the “new moon” (about 2 weeks after the full moon), so that the moon will not be visible in the sky during your visit and the sky will appear truly dark. Kitt Peak is open to the public for this program until July 15th, and then after September 1st, to avoid the rainy season:Click here: Kitt Peak nighttime program (for beginners)For non-beginners, such as amateur astronomers like LeadingEdge, Kitt Peak now offers a more advanced program for your nighttime visit:Click here: Kitt Peak nighttime program (advanced)

Here is a photo showing some of the telescopes at Kitt Peak.Click here: Kitt Peak National Observatory

The universe is not complete without you. Light creates the illusion of separation.

Kind of like we used to see when we lived in the country. In urban areas, the artificial light kind of spoils the view.

Don’t forget the Kitt Peak squirrel.

Actually, it makes me want to hop into Spaceman Spiff’s spaceship and go exploring.

Yes Hobbes, it does make me wonder…

@dukedoug

I’m so envious! I bought a small beginner telescope recently and then wondered why since I’m surrounded by neighbors who are, based on the number of outside lights, scared of the dark.

I sometimes stand outside looking up at the night sky and feel and Calvin and Hobbes and that’s just when I’m able to see a few stars

Whether or not the molecules stay random is irrelevant . The point is that they were when they “created” everything — according to secular thinking. And again, if that’s true, then they carry with them no morals or truths. Hence, even “fouling our own nest” really isn’t a problem, since molecules aren’t concerned with species continuity — even though you personally might not like it.-My argument is religious, not nihilistic. (At least, that was my intent.)- It’s true that only intelligent beings can have morals, but I’m not sure what bearing that has on the discussion. My point is that only religious beings can have morals.

This is what I posted to this strip when it “accidentally” ran on April 16, 2015:

If the universe goes out “forever and ever”, there is no end to it, correct? How do you determine where the centre is if there is no end?.These things force me to think, and it can be painful…

@neverenoughgold: Here is the lighting photo that you mentioned, which is probably the most famous Kitt Peak photo:The astronomer who took the photo said that he left the shutter open for a minute and just got incredibly lucky.

@neverenoughgold: By the way, that lightning photo from 1972 was taken just two years after the large Mayall 4-meter telescope was built.

There Will Come Soft RainsSara Teasdale, 1884 – 1933

(War Time)

There will come soft rains and the smell of the ground, And swallows circling with their shimmering sound;

And frogs in the pools singing at night,And wild plum trees in tremulous white,

Robins will wear their feathery fireWhistling their whims on a low fence-wire;

And not one will know of the war, not oneWill care at last when it is done.

Not one would mind, neither bird nor treeIf mankind perished utterly;

And Spring herself, when she woke at dawn,Would scarcely know that we were gone.

Happy Birthday Hubble!. Still going strong after 25 years.not bad for something that had a much shorter intended lifespan and needed ‘surgery’ for its myopic mirrors. Thanks for all the pretty pictures of ‘out there’. Got us dreaming.

As a child (before age 10, and I’m now 65) I lived in South Africa. I still miss the Southern Cross and seeing the milky way as it appears from the southern hemisphere.

By the way, I currently live in urban Hong Kong, where we are lucky if we can see a dozen stars on a clear night.

@Carl R: Often those who are intolerant of the beliefs of others, and who respond by going into attack mode, are less secure in their own beliefs and feel threatened by the beliefs of those who don’t agree with them.

American’s don’t know what a REAL Night Sky is! We need to have Australia’s full on view of the Milkyway!!!

@Carl_R " I do have a problem with those who would censor discussion that isn’t consistent with their own views." I see no censorship… Oh wait, that’s because that would mean I wouldn’t be seeing the comments being “censored” as you say.

@ragtime78rpm is just stating and defending his own beliefs. You can argue with him if you like, or you can simply give the guy a break and let him voice his own beliefs on the internet, because that IS still legal.

3 Panels, yet this could not be a daily strip.

I like how the TV always bounces.