WIP: Future Earth, my campaign/novel map

[EDG]

I'd say just stick to geographic poles - yes, magnetic poles flip every now and then, but maps generally aren't drawn relative to the magnetic poles anyway and the geography still remains the same regardless.

[Xeviat]

I'd say just stick to geographic poles - yes, magnetic poles flip every now and then, but maps generally aren't drawn relative to the magnetic poles anyway and the geography still remains the same regardless.

Earth still rotates on the same axis, yes, but if polar north was suddenly very close to the south pole, people with compasses might consider that to be up. Several older cultures had west as "up" on their maps, so that the sun would rise up in the sky. So the direction of maps is really a cultural issue, and I contend that it's heavily influenced by compasses.

The poles on my map are the rotational axis. I haven't moved the angle of the axis, so the tropics are in the same spot.

[Midgardsormr]

Particularly in an instance where someone might be basing their understanding of things on ancient documents and technology that they do not clearly understand. If you found a map that clearly had "N" at the top and a compass that clearly had a "N" on the needle, but you didn't know that the compass was now actually pointing south, this is the sort of thing that would happen.

[Xeviat]

Particularly in an instance where someone might be basing their understanding of things on ancient documents and technology that they do not clearly understand. If you found a map that clearly had "N" at the top and a compass that clearly had a "N" on the needle, but you didn't know that the compass was now actually pointing south, this is the sort of thing that would happen.

Were you supporting my decision to flip the map upside down, or saying I should have it flipped the normal way?

[Midgardsormr]

I was agreeing with you that it should be flipped. Or, at least, that it makes sense to be so.

[Gamerprinter]

Several older cultures had west as "up" on their maps, so that the sun would rise up in the sky. So the direction of maps is really a cultural issue, and I contend that it's heavily influenced by compasses.

Old Arabic maps from the 9th through the 12th centuries had East as the top of the map and map directions were the Winds or the God of the Winds. Levant being east, was the top of the map, and they had exceptional cartographers.

GP

[EDG]

I guess it depends who you're making the map for. If the map is one that's supposed to be something that people will make and use in the specific setting then I could see why you could have north pointing in other directions other than the top. But if you're making the map as a reference for people outside the setting (i.e. yourself, or us, or the players of a game that the setting is from) then I think it makes more sense to have N at the top because that's what we (as outsiders to the setting) are more familiar with.

But it's your map, so it's up to you .

[Xeviat]

I guess it depends who you're making the map for. If the map is one that's supposed to be something that people will make and use in the specific setting then I could see why you could have north pointing in other directions other than the top. But if you're making the map as a reference for people outside the setting (i.e. yourself, or us, or the players of a game that the setting is from) then I think it makes more sense to have N at the top because that's what we (as outsiders to the setting) are more familiar with.

But why is north "up" if you were flying to Earth via space ship, I'm sure someone could see an up and down due to the plane created by the planets around the sun, or due to the plane of rotation, but nothing other than magnetics differentiates north from south, right?

Additionally, the world being Earth in the future is a model for building it. Within the setting (via my RPG groups or my future novels), no one knows this fact.

Either way, I believe I've got a working model for climate. There will be further differentiation (such as dry seasons in tropical, semi-arid vs. arid, and seasonal differences in the temperate and cold regions), but those aren't immediately necessary for determining terrain.

How's it look?

[EDG]

But why is north "up" if you were flying to Earth via space ship, I'm sure someone could see an up and down due to the plane created by the planets around the sun, or due to the plane of rotation, but nothing other than magnetics differentiates north from south, right?

I think it's because of astronomical standards. Wiki says this: (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prograd...rograde_motion)

The north orbital pole of a celestial body is defined by the right-hand rule: If one curves the fingers of the right hand along the direction of orbital motion, with the thumb extended parallel to the orbital axis, the direction the thumb points is defined to be north. (The International Astronomical Union has defined a different convention for planetary bodies in the solar system. According to this definition, the north pole is the one that points north of the invariable plane.)

Similarly, the north rotational pole of a body is defined by the direction of the thumb if one were to wrap the fingers around the body's equator in the direction it spins.

Magnetism determines the direction of the magnetic poles, but some planets don't have a consistent magnetic field (like Mars) - or any magnetic field at all.

But look at Earth - I can't recall ever seeing popular maps that are drawn with Magnetic North at the top. Or that have a co-ordinate system based on the magnetic axis (otherwise the Magnetic North would be at 90°, not 78° N).

[Xeviat]

So astronomically, north is to the left of the direction of rotation if the direction of rotation is up (looking at my globe, having the direction of the Earth's Rotation arrow pointing up). That means if you look at a planet's "north" pole, all planets rotate counter clockwise? That's handy to know. Either way, for my world's map, up is south. That's how everyone in their world orients their map, so that's how I'll orient the map.

Besides, I want to hide that it's Earth. There will be clues, but it's not the main point of the setting.