Re: superhero space navigation

Here, Leonard Erickson <shadow@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> Ok, I've been playing with a story idea involving superpowers. (Yeah,
> I know, not exactly hard sf)
> 
> What'm wondering is how someone who can "fly" and survive in outer
> space would navigate. Assuming no supersenses, of course.
> 
> I can see visual nabvigation between the earth and the moon. But
> beyond that getting lost would seem awfully easy.

Visual navigation should work well for planets out to Saturn, if the
person has even a rough diagram of where all the planets are vs the
background constellations.

If you're lost, head towards the sun. Now look towards the appropriate
constellation. The bright thing is a planet. (With the sun at your
back, everything is illuminated in full.)

It will help to carry something to measure the angular size of the
sun. A narrow metal wedge, calibrated for arms'-length, would be good
enough. You just need to know whether you're a decent distance inside
the orbit of (whichever planet you're aiming for).

--Z

-- 
"And Aholibamah bare Jeush, and Jaalam, and Korah: these were the
borogoves..."
*
It's a nice distinction to tell American soldiers (and Iraqis) to die in
Iraq for the sake of democracy (ignoring the question of whether it's
*working*) and then whine that "The Constitution is not a suicide pact."