Re: Space Geography

We thought about this when playing Traveller.  Needing to get to 100 
Diameters before jump it seemed that getting above or below the plane
was 
fastest way.

Michael Brown
mwsaber6@msn.com

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From: "Tom B" <kaladorn@gmail.com>
Sent: Thursday, September 22, 2011 1:15 PM
To: <gzg@firedrake.org>
Subject: Space Geography

> textfilter: chose text/plain from a multipart/alternative
>
> Two questions:
>
> 1) There is (at least in spiral galaxies) some sort of plane you could
> construe 'horizontally' through the spiral such that most systems
would be
> close to that plane. Is there any sort of commonly accepted definition
of
> such a plane and any sort of coordinates available wrt that plane that

> would
> locate systems? (Thinking of the Milky Way)
>
> 2) Similarly, within systems, most orbits follow some sort of plane.
Is
> there data that lists how far on/off the plane of those orbits are
that
> known planets are? (I'm thinking something that identifies how many 
> degrees
> off that plane the orbital plane of a system world is)
>
> Mostly I'm curious if
> a) most systems are flat with eccentric planets being unusual (and
what % 
> of
> planets are thus slightly or highly unusual/eccentric)
> b) same sort of question with systems relative to the plane of a
galaxy
> (obviously highly galaxy shape dependent)
>
> This came up in the context of detection of ships. I'm assuming
detecting 
> a
> ship against 'dark space' is easier than against 'clutter'. So, a ship
> sneaking into a system could try to use cover (from system bodies and 
> maybe
> any asteroid belts?) or just from staying within the plane of a system
or
> the plane of a galaxy to try to make picking it out versus the
background
> harder. (Assuming some levels of stealth as a ship without any should
be
> identifiable even vs. background clutter)
>
> Would that sort of approach help? Does background clutter matter?
>
> -- 
> Only solitary men know the full joys of friendship. Others have their
> family; but to a solitary and an exile, his friends are everything.* 
*--
> Willa Cather (1873 - 1947)Solitudinem fecerunt, pacem appelunt
> -- Publius Cornelius Tacitus (from the book Agricola, attributed to a 
> speech
> from Calgacus)
>
>