If you were the boss of a group of intergalactic explorers, what would you use as the "North" on the space compasses? (lemmy.ml)

submitted 2 months ago by CraigOhMyEggo@lemmy.ml to c/asklemmy@lemmy.ml

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On Earth, the cardinal directions are straightforward. The arrow on a compass points to the nearest magnetic pole. You can then use it to travel anywhere on Earth.

In space, the idea of anything being "central" enough to be used as a "North" (since the universe has no center) or being fixated enough to not somehow pose issues is more convoluted.

If you were a pioneer of space exploration, what would your "North" be?

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[-] tiredofsametab@fedia.io 4 points 2 months ago

I don't think it really makes sense to have a north as such. The only potentially exception I can think of is more of a definition of 'up' rather than north and pertains to hemispheres of bodies.

[-] treadful@lemmy.zip 2 points 2 months ago

Earth-bound cardinals are basically 2 dimensional vectors. Not really helpful in intergalactic space.

this post was submitted on 23 Sep 2024

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