Adventures in Space Mapping, Dispensing with Reality

[wormspeaker]

It'd be way too distracting since the constellations would look very different from even a few light years from Earth. From the vantage point that the map is drawn, the constellations would be completely unrecognizable.

[Hai-Etlik]

This gave me an idea for using constellations to flatten a star map.

Combine the constellations into larger groups (Preferably Contiguous). I think one for each constellation of the zodiac would be good.

Now, divide up your map into sectors (In the geometric sense rather than scifi map sense) radiating from Sol, one for each group.

Now, to put a real star or other object on the map, use its real distance from Sol, and place it in the appropriate sector.

Some example groupings I came up with:

Cancer
* Lynx
* Leo Minor
* Ursa Major
* Ursa Minor

Leo
* Sextans
* Hydra
* Crater
* Corvus
* Antila
* Vela
* Carina
* Volans

Virgo
* Coma Berenices
* Canes Venatici
* Bootes
* Corona Borealis
* Draco

Libra
* Lupus
* Centaurus
* Norma
* Triangulum Australe
* Circinus
* Crux
* Musca

Scorpius
* Ophiuchus
* Serpens
* Scutum
* Hercules
* Lyra

Sagittarius
* Corona Australis
* Telescopium
* Ara
* Indus
* Pavo
* Apus
* Octans

Capricorn
* Microscopium
* Aquila
* Delphinus
* Equuleus
* Sagitta
* Vulpecula
* Cygnus

Aquarius
* Picis Austrinus
* Grus
* Tucana
* Phoenix
* Hydrus
* Mensa

Pisces
* Pegasus
* Triangulum
* Andromeda
* Lacerta
* Cassiopeia
* Cepheus

Aries
* Cetus
* Eridanus
* Fornax
* Sculptor
* Caelum
* Horologium
* Reticulum

Taurus
* Orion
* Auriga
* Perseus
* Camelopardalis

Gemini
* Canis Minor
* Monoceros
* Lepus
* Canis Major
* Columba
* Puppis
* Pyxis
* Pictor
* Dorado

So Sirius, Castor, and Pollux would all be in the Gemini Sector at 8.5, 50, and 35 ly respectively.

[barrataria]

This gave me an idea for using constellations to flatten a star map.

Combine the constellations into larger groups (Preferably Contiguous). I think one for each constellation of the zodiac would be good.

Now, divide up your map into sectors (In the geometric sense rather than scifi map sense) radiating from Sol, one for each group.


So Sirius, Castor, and Pollux would all be in the Gemini Sector at 8.5, 50, and 35 ly respectively.

This is interesting thinking, but I might not be understanding you. As the above poster notes, and as in bartmoss' thread, when the game takes place somewhere other than earth, you will have a tough time calculating distances, won't you?

My idea is not unlike yours- instead of the Traveller-type largescale universe map that shows all the sectors' locations, I'd like to have a flattened constellation map as the galaxy map available to players, with a scale bar so they can estimate (roughly) distances between systems.

I'm not having much luck finding a flattened constellation map. I've seen a couple rectangle-with-two circles above type (sorry I don't know the correct name for that projection) which might be ok to use as a template in CC3.