Galacticentric Coordinate System

[gwfran]

The traditional heliocentric coordinate system is a poor tool when humanity now has free movement throughout the Galaxy. Accordingly, I've put together a new coordinate system using SagA* as the center of the Galaxy with the galactic "bar" creating the line for "East" and "West" and cleanly separating the "Northern" and "Southern" "Hemispheres". (sorry for all of the quotes - trying to take a spherical coordinate system and force it onto a bulged spiral bar is interesting)

Current Heliocentric Coordinate System:

Future Galacticentric Coordinate System:

Any star above the galactic "bar" (the line formed from Eodgold in the "West", through SagA, to Plua Aub in the "East") is considered to be in the Northern Galactic Hemisphere. Any star below the galactic "bar" is considered to be in the Southern Galactic Hemisphere.
Each Hemisphere is divided into quadrants identified by an arc from the Eodgold to SagA to 45, 90, 135, and 180 degrees (Plua Aub). The 1st Galactic Quadrant in each hemisphere extends from 0 to 45 degrees; the 2nd from 45 to 90 degrees; the 3rd from 90 to 135 degrees; and the 4th from 135 to 180 degrees.
This puts anything "West" of the 0:0 line going from Sol to SagA in the 1st Southern Galactic Quadrant (0 < 45 degrees).
Anything "East" of the 0:0 line going from Sol to SagA (but "West" of Pria Ain) in the 2nd Southern Galactic Quadrant (0 < 90 degrees)
Stars above and below the galactic plane are defined by the angle formed between the Galactic Plane < SagA* < and the star. (aka Latitude)
The 3rd and 4th Southern Galactic Quadrants are "East" of the line formed from Pria Ain to SagA.
Colonia is in the 1st Southern Galactic Quadrant.
Beagle Point is the 3rd Northern Galactic Quadrant.

Thoughts?

 

[space voyager]

Coordinate systems tend toward putting the starting point into the centre (centre by an agreed data). Usually a centre of mass for planetary and stellar system. So using the same principle for a galaxy map would make perfect sense. The only info that is usually a wanted one and is lost (edit: not as obvious from the coordinates directly) is the distance from the Sun. This was probably the reasoning for the starting point in Elite (as is for astronomical systems).

 

[gwfran]

Totally agree. In addition, Frontier probably used the existing coord system because that is the most used accepted coordinate system (though there are others). It'd be great to be able to switch between the two (heliocentric and galacticentric) within game.

With regard to distance from Sol, the column "d from sol" and "d from SagA*" contain the distances in Ly between the various centers and the other points of interest.