EDIT 11-26-16: I've updated my theory as I've discovered some things which change it quite a bit. I've also consolidated this post a bit to be more concise yet informative. I'll keep this post updated as I learn more.
Mengy's Alien Ruins Stellar Map Theory
Okay, so I’ve either figured out what the ruins are, or I’ve discovered a number of truly amazing and improbable coincidences of design. But, from what I have here in front of me,
I do strongly believe that the alien ruins are a stellar map giving us directions for where to follow and investigate whoever made them, or possibly something else of importance.
The summary is this: I believe the
large pad (LPA) represents
SOL, the
peak of the north pyramid (PA) above the large pad represents the ruins system
SYNUEFE XR-H D11-102, the
small pad (LPB) represents the system
STOCK 1 SECTOR SX-T C3-30, and the
peak of the pyramid internal to the ruins (PB) might possibly represent system
SYNUEFAI DV-W B35-1.
A quick history of how I came to start this stellar map theory:
"From the moment I saw the ruins in person, that north pyramid bothered me. The entire site seemed very deliberate, but that north pyramid was just a few degrees off center of the complex. It prodded at my inner engineer, and it was either a grievous mistake by whoever built the ruins, OR it was done intentionally, but for what reason? I spent a lot of time poking around exploring the ruins but the stellar map idea didn't occur to me until I went to leave for Jameson Memorial. When I opened the galaxy map to plot my course I realized that my bookmarks for both Sol and the ruin system seemed, when viewed from above, to be offset about the same relative amount in the Z axis as the pyramid is to the large pad.
That's the moment I started working on my map theory.
I began surveying the site, taking measurements using my SRV and Anaconda to get distances between features. I was immediately surprised to find that the distance in meters between the north pyramid peak and the large pad center is very close to the distance in light years between Sol and SYNUEFE XR-H D11-102. It wasn't exact but only off by like 10%. (later I would do much more accurate surveying which eliminated that 10%) I made other measurements and worked out a rough stellar map on paper using geometry, but it was cumbersome so I instead took an overhead picture of the ruins that someone posted in this thread, imported it into CAD, and plotted out the feature measurements of the ruins. This got me a 2D map, but the galaxy is 3D, so I used CAD to make a 3D model using the geometry and lengths of the ruins. This allowed me to query a range of possible locations and find target coordinates for both LPB and PB.
Over time I've added more details to that 3D model from the ruins site which have only served to make me believe it's a huge stellar map even more so."
What evidence do I have to support that the ruins are in fact a stellar map?
Lets begin by posting the map I created based on the ruins:
http://i.imgur.com/iNcm2wB.jpg
This SOL centered version is my latest iteration of the map, but I believe it's the most correct one for several reasons:
1. The distance between the center of LPA and the peak of PA is 368 meters, which correlates directly to the distance between SOL and the ruins system: 368.4 lys.
2. Drew Wagar posted a trailer about the Formadine Rift which also featured the alien ruins in it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUCIwItmz8A In this trailer interspersed amongst footage of the ruins was this starmap:
This is only one of several official Elite maps which depict SOL as being marked by many circles around it. If we are to take this as an Elite map standard, then if the ruins are a stellar map, the obvious location for SOL would be LPA, a large circle with larger circles around it. This would mean PA must represent the ruins system.
3. The vector between the center of LPA and the coordinates for the peak of PB point directly to the center of the Heart & Soul Nebula, it's precise within 1-2°:
4. The famed R-R Line (the vector from REORTE through REIDQUAT that is supposed to lead towards the Formadine Rift) appears to actually be part of the ruins. There is a faint line which runs from just a bit beneath the center of LPA and through the bottom left corner of PB:
This line at the ruins is about 15 meters away from center of LPA, and the RR line is 14 lys off axis from SOL when looking down on the galactic plane. The angle between this ruins line and the vector from LPA to PB is 10°, which is the vector angle difference between the actual RR line and the galaxy map vector from SOL to the H&S Nebula.
So what does the map tell us?
After some meticulous surveying using multiple SRV's we now have fairly accurate measurements between key features of the ruins:
Distance from LPA to PA = 368 - 369m
Distance from LPA to PB = 408 - 410m
Distance from LPA to LPB = 817 - 819m
Distance from PA to PB = 673 - 676m
Distance from PA to LPB = 1170 - 1172m
I have made a 3D coordinate model in CAD which I've used to find a range of coordinates for both PB and LPB. Since the ruins are 2D and do not have any Y data, I tested a few possible assumptions in order to make the search areas manageable:
1. The walls of the ruins are meant to convey that LPA, LPB, and PB are locked to the same Y plane, Y=0.
2. The walls of the ruins only lock LPA and LPB to Y=0, but PB is at the same Y as the ruins are, Y=-50.
This allowed me to narrow down an area I could search, and this got me coordinates, which led me to these systems:
Unfortunately I've not found anything interesting in the systems, so either:
- my assumptions are wrong (particularly the Y axis assumptions)
- I've not found what is in those systems yet
- my map theory is bunk and I'm on a wild goose chase!
Things left to do yet.
I'm still convinced the ruins are a stellar map, I just think my theory needs more detail in order to provide something concrete and profound. A solid answer to the puzzle. The more I study the ruins though the more detail I notice which seems to cement the theory as true. I'm not so sure my Y axis assumptions are correct, but the ruins don't seem to provide anything usable to pin down system locations in the Y axis. The obelisks and other features might be the key to the Y axis data, as of yet though no one has been able to figure out what they mean.
Currently I'm out past the H&S Nebula in the Raxxla CG target area searching for any systems of interest along my map's LPA -> PB vector. It's most likely a waste of time, but I've a hunch so I'm doing it for my curiosity alone. After that I'm going to open my search areas for both LPB and PB to any Y axis values while still holding the distances between systems as my guiding parameters. Doing so opens up a huge number of possible target systems, but eh, maybe I'll get lucky and stumble onto something purely by chance. At least it's exploring with a purpose, lol!
Since the front page of the thread points here I'll continue to update this post if I learn anything new or if anything changes. Or until we learn that the ruins aren't a map at all, in which case this can all be renamed to
Mengy's Folly!!!
