Re: superhero space navigation

On Mon, 7 Apr 2008 04:14:29 +0000 (UTC), Andrew Plotkin
<erkyrath@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:

>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.)

Just realized while replying to another post that where the planet is
against the constellations depends strongly on where in the solar
system you are viewing it from. Even having the sun against your back
only simplifies things a bit.

If you can ID a few stars, that and some work ill place you on a line
with the sun at one end.  

>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).

Ok, that will tell you where on the line you are (where the line
intersects the sphere of the appropriate radius.

Going from that to the direction to the planet you want is going to be
a bit ugly I think.

Have to draw some diagrams later.