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Not really.

Inferring epoch from constellations is an old sci-fi theme and a topic that's discussed in basic astronomy classes. Considering the knowledge base and nature of this web comic's readership, I'd expect that this would intrigue and capture a certain percentage. (Smart people are smart and usually inquisitive...)

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I think it's partly amazing (though it shouldn't be, given past work of his) that Munroe took the time to render time-accurate futuristic stars, and other details. His attention to detail is what makes this kind of sleuthing possible.

Of particular note: there is now excellent astronomy software which many geeks already have on their systems, which can be used to nail down dates from constellations fairly accurately. xkcd fans used Stellarium [0] to determine the epoch (at one point, picking out a specific day and hour due to the locations of Jupiter and Venus [1]!)

[0] http://www.stellarium.org/ -- which was forked for use in portable planetariums at http://digitaliseducation.com/products-nightshade.html

[1] http://xkcd-time.wikia.com/wiki/Astronomy#The.C2.A013291_Hyp...

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