Anthony Neal
Somewhere in the Traveller library data - and I think it was transferred
to MT - there is an explanation of `Galactic Directions', namely Spinward
in the direction of galactic spin, Trailing in the opposite direction,
Rimward towards the *galactic* rim, and Corewards towards the *galactic*
core. As a caveat, it was also noted that the Imperial Core (ie Core
sector, the location of Capital) allowed some confusion in the use of the
term `Coreward', as for a large chunk of the Imperium, the two directions
were actually different.
As to where charted space is in the Milky Way, well Terra is typically
taken to be about 10000 pc from the galactic core, although this distance
is difficult to measure too precisely. Thus, the Zhodani Core Expeditions
are to the galactic core, and they haven't got there yet (unless you take
the extreme limit of current measurements errors, and even then I'm not
sure). I think these distances for the core may be included in the
Traveller literature under the explanation of Imperial coordinate systems,
and the location of Reference.
Rob Day
Send details to the address below, and I'll see what I can do.
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"Traveller Done Wrong
- Let's get the Fiction back into Science Fiction Roleplaying"
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Jodrell Bank
Macclesfield
[email removed] Cheshire
[address removed]
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