Orion Nebula
Orion Nebula
[Cueball stands behind a lectern decorated with the initials of the International Astronomical Union. There is a banner above him that also says 'International Astronomical Union,' decorated with small stars.] Cueball: Welcome to IAU Symposium #279.
[Side view of Cueball standing on a podium behind the lectern] Cueball: We are no strangers to controversy, and we will not shy away from the tough issues. Cueball: Which brings us to the subject at hand:
[A projection of the Orion constellation appears behind Cueball with a white arrow superimposed on the image pointing at the area between Orion's legs. Symposium attendees are off-screen to the bottom and right of the panel.] Cueball: It's time to talk about the fact that Orion clearly has a dong. Attendee #1 (off-screen): It's hard to miss. Attendee #2 (off-screen): We could keep telling people it's a sword. Attendee #3 (off-screen): C'mon, no one's buying that anymore.

The Orion nebula is a diffuse nebula situated south of the three stars that compose Orion's Belt in the Orion constellation . In terms of the comic, it is the middle "star" in the sword/dong of Orion. Dong is an American slang word for penis. The star appears fuzzy to sharp-eyed observers, and the nebulosity is obvious through binoculars or a small telescope.
When the speaker says "We are no strangers to controversy" he is probably referring to Pluto 's demotion from planet to a dwarf planet / plutoid . It could also be a reference to Rick Astley's song "Never gonna give you up", the original line is "We're no strangers to love".
The title text is a quip about how small and off-kilter the hips are in Orion the constellation compared to the rest of its body.
[Cueball stands behind a lectern decorated with the initials of the International Astronomical Union. There is a banner above him that also says 'International Astronomical Union,' decorated with small stars.] Cueball: Welcome to IAU Symposium #279.
[Side view of Cueball standing on a podium behind the lectern] Cueball: We are no strangers to controversy, and we will not shy away from the tough issues. Cueball: Which brings us to the subject at hand:
[A projection of the Orion constellation appears behind Cueball with a white arrow superimposed on the image pointing at the area between Orion's legs. Symposium attendees are off-screen to the bottom and right of the panel.] Cueball: It's time to talk about the fact that Orion clearly has a dong. Attendee #1 (off-screen): It's hard to miss. Attendee #2 (off-screen): We could keep telling people it's a sword. Attendee #3 (off-screen): C'mon, no one's buying that anymore.
