Post by Aceron on Aug 31, 2013 13:53:42 GMT -8
Hopefully this diagram explains more than words can. But don't worry, there will be more clarification after the break.
(picture)
Just so you understand: space is ENORMOUS. It's freaking huge. Distances are VAST. Lots of sci-fi talks about bouncing between galaxies, well how about exploring the one we're in first? It's like talking about travelling to Surinam while you've barely been out of your own basement. You know how experts talk about how our own oceans are full of way more weird crap than Mars? Yeaaah. Perspective is hugely important.
Now, for those of you who are all like tl;dr, the following below is just interesting stuff to know if your character is well-versed in space travel, or just happens to be a closet astrophysicist, or just happens to read stuff. You don't have to know ALL of the next few parts, but it sure makes you look smarter if you did.
So having said this, let's look at our interstellar cartography.
That huge glowing central point is Sagittarius A, aka Sgr A, and is the name of a massive radio source that is generally believed to be a giant assfuck black hole, aka a supermassive black hole. We are literally just debris swirling down into the drain hole to hell.
The Milkyway Galaxy, which is home to us, is made up of six octopus arms that are flung out in a cool-looking spiral that sheds dust and gas like a dog shaking out its coat. These arms are called, in no specific order: Cygnus Arm, Carina-Sagittarius Arm, Perseus Arm, Norma Arm, Crux-Scutum Arm, and Orion Arm. Earth is located in the Orion Arm.
The following data is considered game-world-canon-only. ie. here's a big grain of salt, you might need it.
In the game world, the dense area haloing Sgr-A is called the Core. The Core tends to be full of more weird shit than the outside parts. This is due to a higher level of activity stirred up by the presence of Sgr-A; loads of radio and X-rays and cosmic rays and terrible things are being barfed out by this thing, and occasionally super-weird stuff happens, like the inversion of physics. Also, things like solar weather tend to be exaggerated the closer you get to the Core. So, in general, most people stay away from the Core if they can. It's also a good place to hide, if you don't mind being potentially stranded in dead space for the next five million years.
Cybertron is viewed as a wandering planet. By Earth standards, it is a member of the AB Doradus Moving Group (ABDMG) that orbits the galaxy directly. How Cybertron came to become a member of this nomadic cluster is unknown, only that it has the highest metallic structure of its surrounding brown dwarf pod members, and that by group we mean they're likely millions of light years apart.
Quick glossary check:
1 lightyear = 9.4605284 × 1015 meters; just under 10 trillion kilometres (or about 6 trillion miles); Light moves at a velocity of about 300,000 kilometers (km) each second.
1 parsec = 3.08567758 × 1016 meters; equal to about 3.26 light-years, or about 30.9 trillion kilometres (19.2 trillion miles); 3.258 light years; the distance between the Sun and Earth.
So despite Cybertron being free from any sort of nearby sun, it does follow a somewhat coherent, predictable path, which is how most people tend to find it. And most spacecraft that tend to shuttle back and forth between the home planet and elsewhere, will have the specific mathematical model to calculate Cybertron's trajectory pre-programmed into whatever navigation software they're running. Otherwise, you may miss the big shiny metal planet by several light years, and that's just a pain in the aft.
Having said this, there is no point to mapping Cybertron's location with respect to the Milkyway, only that it orbits this particular galaxy.
Most of the game takes place within the Milkyway. Because 'Milkyway' is a human invention, the galaxy tends to be named after its glowing, sinister heart, called Sgr-A. As such, the current local galaxy is just referred to as Sgr-A or Sagittarius-A.
(picture)
Just so you understand: space is ENORMOUS. It's freaking huge. Distances are VAST. Lots of sci-fi talks about bouncing between galaxies, well how about exploring the one we're in first? It's like talking about travelling to Surinam while you've barely been out of your own basement. You know how experts talk about how our own oceans are full of way more weird crap than Mars? Yeaaah. Perspective is hugely important.
Now, for those of you who are all like tl;dr, the following below is just interesting stuff to know if your character is well-versed in space travel, or just happens to be a closet astrophysicist, or just happens to read stuff. You don't have to know ALL of the next few parts, but it sure makes you look smarter if you did.
So having said this, let's look at our interstellar cartography.
That huge glowing central point is Sagittarius A, aka Sgr A, and is the name of a massive radio source that is generally believed to be a giant assfuck black hole, aka a supermassive black hole. We are literally just debris swirling down into the drain hole to hell.
The Milkyway Galaxy, which is home to us, is made up of six octopus arms that are flung out in a cool-looking spiral that sheds dust and gas like a dog shaking out its coat. These arms are called, in no specific order: Cygnus Arm, Carina-Sagittarius Arm, Perseus Arm, Norma Arm, Crux-Scutum Arm, and Orion Arm. Earth is located in the Orion Arm.
The following data is considered game-world-canon-only. ie. here's a big grain of salt, you might need it.
In the game world, the dense area haloing Sgr-A is called the Core. The Core tends to be full of more weird shit than the outside parts. This is due to a higher level of activity stirred up by the presence of Sgr-A; loads of radio and X-rays and cosmic rays and terrible things are being barfed out by this thing, and occasionally super-weird stuff happens, like the inversion of physics. Also, things like solar weather tend to be exaggerated the closer you get to the Core. So, in general, most people stay away from the Core if they can. It's also a good place to hide, if you don't mind being potentially stranded in dead space for the next five million years.
Cybertron is viewed as a wandering planet. By Earth standards, it is a member of the AB Doradus Moving Group (ABDMG) that orbits the galaxy directly. How Cybertron came to become a member of this nomadic cluster is unknown, only that it has the highest metallic structure of its surrounding brown dwarf pod members, and that by group we mean they're likely millions of light years apart.
Quick glossary check:
1 lightyear = 9.4605284 × 1015 meters; just under 10 trillion kilometres (or about 6 trillion miles); Light moves at a velocity of about 300,000 kilometers (km) each second.
1 parsec = 3.08567758 × 1016 meters; equal to about 3.26 light-years, or about 30.9 trillion kilometres (19.2 trillion miles); 3.258 light years; the distance between the Sun and Earth.
So despite Cybertron being free from any sort of nearby sun, it does follow a somewhat coherent, predictable path, which is how most people tend to find it. And most spacecraft that tend to shuttle back and forth between the home planet and elsewhere, will have the specific mathematical model to calculate Cybertron's trajectory pre-programmed into whatever navigation software they're running. Otherwise, you may miss the big shiny metal planet by several light years, and that's just a pain in the aft.
Having said this, there is no point to mapping Cybertron's location with respect to the Milkyway, only that it orbits this particular galaxy.
Most of the game takes place within the Milkyway. Because 'Milkyway' is a human invention, the galaxy tends to be named after its glowing, sinister heart, called Sgr-A. As such, the current local galaxy is just referred to as Sgr-A or Sagittarius-A.
END DOCUMENT
(for now.)
(for now.)