Sol to Looking Glass Nebula, In a Cobra

Quite the task but it's finally been done. My friend CMDR Aidryen, with whom I've shared quite a number of experiences during the SHEPARD mission, was nice enough to play the part of the 'guinea pig' on this particular venture.

One of the optional waypoints for the Land of Giants Expedition was the Looking Glass Nebula. The idea originally came from the notion that one would require an obnoxiously high jump range to get down here. According to EDSM, "It can only be reached through the use of premium FSD injections combined with optimised FSD technology: a jump of 104.13 LY is required to reach it." I saw that, and I could not help but think of that as a challenge worth taking. After revising the route to Ishum's Reach with a slightly lower one together with CMDR David Bowman during Beagle Point week on SHEPARD, and given the success of CMDR Taen's 'advanced plotting' during the Sunny Side Up record (which was sadly taken by Allitnil ten days later) I felt like putting that same technique to work with this one, just to see if it could be done.

I'm happy to report that we did it.

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With a jump range barely over 33 lightyears, traversing the nearly 26,000ly distance between Sol and the nebula proper took a little while to do, but when he told me that he had made it I dropped the trek back to Colonia to jump into his ship and see the route through.

It requires a few neutron boosts (nothing fancy, no double boost wizardry or anything), but even with his jump range it's easy enough to traverse. The route in is as follows:

FLOAGH DD-A D14-2 -> FLOAGH GY-Z D13-1 (Neutron, 109.36ly)
FLOAGH GY-Z D13-1 -> FLOAGH IT-Z D13-0 (Neutron, 76.451ly)
FLOAGH IT-Z D13-0 -> FLOAGH KO-Z D13-0 (Neutron, 75.40ly)
FLOAGH KO-Z D13-0 -> FLOAGH JO-Z D13-1 (Neutron, 66.22ly)
FLOAGH JO-Z D13-1 -> FLOAGH FI-B D13-1 (Regular Power, 32.19ly)

But with that, even a ship with a jump range as low as Aidryen's can get into and out of the nebula with a little bit of J3. To get out obviously you'd use the same route, but in reverse. :p

He'll have a video of it sometime in the near future, but for how here are a couple of screenshots.

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Greetings from Looking Glass

Today, using a route plotted by CMDR EtherealCereal, I have reached Looking Glass using the Kaida, a purpose-built Cobra MKIII that I specifically aimed for a jump range of 33.2LY. The proposed - and successful - route requires a jump of 66.22LY using jumponium. This led me to build out the Kaida for the range, to ensure that those with the specified minimum range could in fact make the journey.

After two weeks of travels from inhabited space, I reached the last of the computer-plottable distance at system FloaghYB-C d13-0. Through some searching, I found a path through to the starting point of Ethereal's route as follows:

FloaghYB-C d13-0 + STD FSD Synth (52.13LY) ->
Floagh ZJ-C c27-0 ->
Floagh BF-Cc27-0 + BSC FSD Synth (43.65LY) ->
Floagh FL-A c28-0

From the final system the computer will plot the final few jumps to the entry point of Ethereal's route.
 
Well done. [up]

Now if you could just find a way to get my fully combat loaded Vulture explorer ship, The Ronin there, I would appriciate it. ;)

Nice loadout! With a few lightweight mods, I'm sure you could get up to the range to get in, but unless I manage to find a shorter path out, returning from LGN will need a minimum range of 33.11LY. At least until someone manages to find a shorter route in.
 
Might take my Cobra, The Ranger there someday as well which I built for taking on an expedition to Beagle Point later in the year or whenever I get around to it. Here's the build for that ship. → https://coriolis.edcd.io/outfit/cob...AA.EweloBhBGA2EoFMCGBzANokMK6A=&bn=The Ranger

I don't know though; The Ronin is the one I usually go nebula hunting in. We'll see.

Nice resource here for explorers either way though. I had a similarly fun time finding the shortest possible jumping route to the Crab Nebula during the Crab Nebula Expedition of 3302 (wouldn't have been able to make it otherwise) – see the top link in my signature for more info, if anyone is interested.

Cheers, guys.
 
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Nah, bro.... just left the AspX at home. This journey was a challenge to the concept that reaching Looking Glass requires a 52+LY jump range.

I think a lot of people might not understand the emergent gameplay forms of exploration this game offers. I know finding the lowest possible jump range path to the Crab Nebula was one of my personal exploration career highlights in this game. Of course I could have taken an Asp or whatever and not bothered, but what's the fun in that?

tYNV37g.jpg


Vs.

e2NrCJm.gif

;)
 
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