What would be used for “coordinates” on a large asteroid?
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Assuming we had a non-spherical asteroid that doesn't have a magnetic "north", how would the inhabitants define areas on the asteroid? How would they explain to a visitor to go to a very specific spot to retrieve or leave something besides "head over the hill sunward for 50 km"
map-making asteroids
edited 1 hour ago
kingledion
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asked 2 hours ago
TChris Gardner
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up vote
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down vote
favorite
Assuming we had a non-spherical asteroid that doesn't have a magnetic "north", how would the inhabitants define areas on the asteroid? How would they explain to a visitor to go to a very specific spot to retrieve or leave something besides "head over the hill sunward for 50 km"
map-making asteroids
edited 1 hour ago
kingledion
72.1k25243426
asked 2 hours ago
TChris Gardner
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Welcome to Worldbuilding! Great first question!
– kingledion
1 hour ago
add a comment |
up vote
4
down vote
favorite
up vote
4
down vote
favorite
Assuming we had a non-spherical asteroid that doesn't have a magnetic "north", how would the inhabitants define areas on the asteroid? How would they explain to a visitor to go to a very specific spot to retrieve or leave something besides "head over the hill sunward for 50 km"
map-making asteroids
edited 1 hour ago
kingledion
72.1k25243426
asked 2 hours ago
TChris Gardner
212
New contributor
TChris Gardner is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
Assuming we had a non-spherical asteroid that doesn't have a magnetic "north", how would the inhabitants define areas on the asteroid? How would they explain to a visitor to go to a very specific spot to retrieve or leave something besides "head over the hill sunward for 50 km"
map-making asteroids
map-making asteroids
edited 1 hour ago
kingledion
72.1k25243426
asked 2 hours ago
TChris Gardner
212
New contributor
TChris Gardner is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
edited 1 hour ago
kingledion
72.1k25243426
asked 2 hours ago
TChris Gardner
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edited 1 hour ago
kingledion
72.1k25243426
edited 1 hour ago
kingledion
72.1k25243426
edited 1 hour ago
kingledion
72.1k25243426
72.1k25243426
asked 2 hours ago
TChris Gardner
212
New contributor
TChris Gardner is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
asked 2 hours ago
TChris Gardner
212
asked 2 hours ago
TChris Gardner
212
212
New contributor
TChris Gardner is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
New contributor
TChris Gardner is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
TChris Gardner is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
Welcome to Worldbuilding! Great first question!
– kingledion
1 hour ago
add a comment |
Welcome to Worldbuilding! Great first question!
– kingledion
1 hour ago
Welcome to Worldbuilding! Great first question!
– kingledion
1 hour ago
Welcome to Worldbuilding! Great first question!
– kingledion
1 hour ago
add a comment |
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
up vote
3
down vote
My suggestion would be that you select a point on the asteroid to act as a pole. Perhaps the point of first landing? Then, using that point and asteroid's centre of gravity as references, you can map spherical coordinates.
answered 2 hours ago
Arkenstein XII
1,725219
2
This is the only option. The details may vary: such as using geostationary satelites, but because astroids don't have poles and their arbitrary rotation makes external (independent of the asteroid) references almost meaningless, picking a point and pounding in the proverbial survey stake is all you can do to guarantee a predictable solution. Consider the Paris Meridian.
– JBH
1 hour ago
How well do spherical coordinates map to an asteroid that isn't necessarily spherical? Many of them are pretty substantially "squished" in one direction or another.
– Cadence
12 mins ago
add a comment |
up vote
2
down vote
Whoever is going to be on that asteroid will necessarily used radio communication to keep in contact with the rest of the crew.
To ensure communication a network of antennas has to be established, since a single antenna could at best serve half of the asteroid.
Each position can then be simply referred to the distance from the (closest) antennas.
answered 1 hour ago
L.Dutch♦
71.3k22171343
add a comment |
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
up vote
3
down vote
My suggestion would be that you select a point on the asteroid to act as a pole. Perhaps the point of first landing? Then, using that point and asteroid's centre of gravity as references, you can map spherical coordinates.
answered 2 hours ago
Arkenstein XII
1,725219
2
This is the only option. The details may vary: such as using geostationary satelites, but because astroids don't have poles and their arbitrary rotation makes external (independent of the asteroid) references almost meaningless, picking a point and pounding in the proverbial survey stake is all you can do to guarantee a predictable solution. Consider the Paris Meridian.
– JBH
1 hour ago
How well do spherical coordinates map to an asteroid that isn't necessarily spherical? Many of them are pretty substantially "squished" in one direction or another.
– Cadence
12 mins ago
add a comment |
up vote
3
down vote
My suggestion would be that you select a point on the asteroid to act as a pole. Perhaps the point of first landing? Then, using that point and asteroid's centre of gravity as references, you can map spherical coordinates.
answered 2 hours ago
Arkenstein XII
1,725219
2
This is the only option. The details may vary: such as using geostationary satelites, but because astroids don't have poles and their arbitrary rotation makes external (independent of the asteroid) references almost meaningless, picking a point and pounding in the proverbial survey stake is all you can do to guarantee a predictable solution. Consider the Paris Meridian.
– JBH
1 hour ago
How well do spherical coordinates map to an asteroid that isn't necessarily spherical? Many of them are pretty substantially "squished" in one direction or another.
– Cadence
12 mins ago
add a comment |
up vote
3
down vote
up vote
3
down vote
My suggestion would be that you select a point on the asteroid to act as a pole. Perhaps the point of first landing? Then, using that point and asteroid's centre of gravity as references, you can map spherical coordinates.
answered 2 hours ago
Arkenstein XII
1,725219
My suggestion would be that you select a point on the asteroid to act as a pole. Perhaps the point of first landing? Then, using that point and asteroid's centre of gravity as references, you can map spherical coordinates.
answered 2 hours ago
Arkenstein XII
1,725219
edited 1 hour ago
answered 2 hours ago
Arkenstein XII
1,725219
answered 2 hours ago
Arkenstein XII
1,725219
answered 2 hours ago
Arkenstein XII
1,725219
1,725219
2
This is the only option. The details may vary: such as using geostationary satelites, but because astroids don't have poles and their arbitrary rotation makes external (independent of the asteroid) references almost meaningless, picking a point and pounding in the proverbial survey stake is all you can do to guarantee a predictable solution. Consider the Paris Meridian.
– JBH
1 hour ago
How well do spherical coordinates map to an asteroid that isn't necessarily spherical? Many of them are pretty substantially "squished" in one direction or another.
– Cadence
12 mins ago
add a comment |
2
This is the only option. The details may vary: such as using geostationary satelites, but because astroids don't have poles and their arbitrary rotation makes external (independent of the asteroid) references almost meaningless, picking a point and pounding in the proverbial survey stake is all you can do to guarantee a predictable solution. Consider the Paris Meridian.
– JBH
1 hour ago
How well do spherical coordinates map to an asteroid that isn't necessarily spherical? Many of them are pretty substantially "squished" in one direction or another.
– Cadence
12 mins ago
2
2
This is the only option. The details may vary: such as using geostationary satelites, but because astroids don't have poles and their arbitrary rotation makes external (independent of the asteroid) references almost meaningless, picking a point and pounding in the proverbial survey stake is all you can do to guarantee a predictable solution. Consider the Paris Meridian.
– JBH
1 hour ago
This is the only option. The details may vary: such as using geostationary satelites, but because astroids don't have poles and their arbitrary rotation makes external (independent of the asteroid) references almost meaningless, picking a point and pounding in the proverbial survey stake is all you can do to guarantee a predictable solution. Consider the Paris Meridian.
– JBH
1 hour ago
How well do spherical coordinates map to an asteroid that isn't necessarily spherical? Many of them are pretty substantially "squished" in one direction or another.
– Cadence
12 mins ago
How well do spherical coordinates map to an asteroid that isn't necessarily spherical? Many of them are pretty substantially "squished" in one direction or another.
– Cadence
12 mins ago
add a comment |
up vote
2
down vote
Whoever is going to be on that asteroid will necessarily used radio communication to keep in contact with the rest of the crew.
To ensure communication a network of antennas has to be established, since a single antenna could at best serve half of the asteroid.
Each position can then be simply referred to the distance from the (closest) antennas.
answered 1 hour ago
L.Dutch♦
71.3k22171343
add a comment |
up vote
2
down vote
Whoever is going to be on that asteroid will necessarily used radio communication to keep in contact with the rest of the crew.
To ensure communication a network of antennas has to be established, since a single antenna could at best serve half of the asteroid.
Each position can then be simply referred to the distance from the (closest) antennas.
answered 1 hour ago
L.Dutch♦
71.3k22171343
add a comment |
up vote
2
down vote
up vote
2
down vote
Whoever is going to be on that asteroid will necessarily used radio communication to keep in contact with the rest of the crew.
To ensure communication a network of antennas has to be established, since a single antenna could at best serve half of the asteroid.
Each position can then be simply referred to the distance from the (closest) antennas.
answered 1 hour ago
L.Dutch♦
71.3k22171343
Whoever is going to be on that asteroid will necessarily used radio communication to keep in contact with the rest of the crew.
To ensure communication a network of antennas has to be established, since a single antenna could at best serve half of the asteroid.
Each position can then be simply referred to the distance from the (closest) antennas.
answered 1 hour ago
L.Dutch♦
71.3k22171343
answered 1 hour ago
L.Dutch♦
71.3k22171343
answered 1 hour ago
L.Dutch♦
71.3k22171343
answered 1 hour ago
L.Dutch♦
71.3k22171343
71.3k22171343
add a comment |
add a comment |
TChris Gardner is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
TChris Gardner is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
TChris Gardner is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
TChris Gardner is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
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Welcome to Worldbuilding! Great first question!
– kingledion
1 hour ago