Kaito
Orbiquiz Coordinator
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How often have you heard this (or something similar) on a science fiction show/movie:
"Punch in the coordinates for the warp drive"
Now, lets assume a couple things:
There is technology present to achieve a "simulated" faster than light travel, be it through wormholes, "warp" drives (compressing space in front of you and expanding it behind you), or any number of ways to travel from star to star in a seemingly short amount of time.
Also assume we have a need to use some sort of coordinate system in space.
Now, the actual question: What would we use as a 3D coordinate system in space? On earth, it's simple: Up is Up. No questions asked. And from there, you can use reference points such as, say, THE SUN for measuring North, East, etc. However, in space...there are no decent landmarks, especially if you are traveling from star to star. So, what do you guys think we should have as a type of coordinate system for space? We all know one will eventually be used, I'm just thinking about it 1000 years too early
One rule: It has to be truly universal, meaning spanning galaxy to galaxy.
I've come up with one for a galactic scale: Find the plane of the Milky Way Galaxy. Draw line perpendicular to this plane crossing through the center of our galaxy. This is the "Y" line. Find the tips of the longest "spirals", and draw a line through them that crosses through the center of the galaxy. This is the "X" line. Draw another line perpendicular to X that crosses through the center of the galaxy. This is the "Z" line. Now, you have center. From there, you assign each galaxy a relative "tilt" (which we have the math to do) from the Milky Way.
I know there are flaws with this system, such as Y+, Z-, etc. However, it's a start.
Can anyone think of a system for Galaxy/Solar system coordinates?
"Punch in the coordinates for the warp drive"
Now, lets assume a couple things:
There is technology present to achieve a "simulated" faster than light travel, be it through wormholes, "warp" drives (compressing space in front of you and expanding it behind you), or any number of ways to travel from star to star in a seemingly short amount of time.
Also assume we have a need to use some sort of coordinate system in space.
Now, the actual question: What would we use as a 3D coordinate system in space? On earth, it's simple: Up is Up. No questions asked. And from there, you can use reference points such as, say, THE SUN for measuring North, East, etc. However, in space...there are no decent landmarks, especially if you are traveling from star to star. So, what do you guys think we should have as a type of coordinate system for space? We all know one will eventually be used, I'm just thinking about it 1000 years too early
One rule: It has to be truly universal, meaning spanning galaxy to galaxy.
I've come up with one for a galactic scale: Find the plane of the Milky Way Galaxy. Draw line perpendicular to this plane crossing through the center of our galaxy. This is the "Y" line. Find the tips of the longest "spirals", and draw a line through them that crosses through the center of the galaxy. This is the "X" line. Draw another line perpendicular to X that crosses through the center of the galaxy. This is the "Z" line. Now, you have center. From there, you assign each galaxy a relative "tilt" (which we have the math to do) from the Milky Way.
I know there are flaws with this system, such as Y+, Z-, etc. However, it's a start.
Can anyone think of a system for Galaxy/Solar system coordinates?