[ audio ]

[airskate]

This is Shadow.

[ No description of his vehicle this time. ]

First, does anyone recognize any of the stars or constellations?

Second, does anyone know the best way to record the ones that aren't familiar?

If we're thorough enough, we might be able to use the stars to navigate.


( OOC: I asked the mods about the stars here if you'd like more info! )

Comments

Audio

[guidemyway]

Wait-

You can use the stars to navigate!?

How!?

[airskate]

[ Uh oh, Shadow's not exactly an expert in this subject—

But he knows a little. Enough to explain. ]

You can tell which is which is based on the sun. If it's morning and the sun is on your right, then the sun is to the east and you're facing north. Right?

audio;

[faceguy]

Well, I haven't been able to find the Big Dipper. Or the little one either.

[Leo actually likes space and the stars, but he's also never looked at the sky properly when away from NYC's heavy light pollution, so he's pretty much useless for this discussion.]

It's kinda cool, though, right? I've never seen that many stars at once.

[airskate]

Neither have I.

[ Unfortunate, because those are the only ones Shadow knows—and the ones that gave him the idea of trying to use these stars for navigation as well. ]

... It is cool. It's hard to see stars in the city, but if you're far enough away it always looks like this.

[Voice]

[constantvrunning]

[V is... somewhat... adjusting to people using the Network for things that are Not Text.]

I can help make a composite view - but no, I do not recognize any constellations either.

We can either use photo-taking devices, or make a drawing on a large enough paper and fill it in as we go.

... We could tell if there are other planets, too, not just stars. The difference between them is consistent, since this planet's atmosphere is mostly unchanged from the Earth I know.

[Improbable as that seemed, considering the literal moon fragments everywhere.]

[airskate]

[ Okay, that's good news all around. Except... ]

We'll just need to find enough paper.

[ But more importantly: ]

How can you tell stars and planets apart?

voice

[undyingcrow]

[So someone finally brought it up...

Well then.]

No. The constellations differ greatly, just as the moon does. At this rate, we'd be better off searching for native star charts or creating our own.

[airskate]

[ Hmm... ]

The moon where I'm from is broken, too. I thought this was Earth, at first. But none of the constellations match.

[undyingcrow]

That's an uncanny coincidence.

[It makes sense why it'd throw Shadow off, really.]

Then again, I suppose the same can be said for the messages strung near the power lines. There are messages there that have no business being in a world like this.

[constantvrunning]

With the right drawing utensils, fabric could take the place of paper. If people are willing to donate.

[Many Drifters need to prioritize clothes, which is understandable.]

Normally it'd depend on how thick the atmosphere is, but- planets are steady points of light relative to the Earth. Stars flicker.

[Okay, tinkle, but V prefers flicker as a word.]

voice;

[justiceobjects]

[Now this is something Apollo is familiar with, one of the perks of having an astronaut for a best friend.]

Like the others have said, everything here is just totally wrong for Earth. Even if we come from different hemispheres, it should all be the same stars, just flipped around.

Making a star chart is a nice idea. We'd have to cover a lot of ground before the stars start to change.

[faceguy]

You could even say it's... out of this world.

[Yes, he's going to snicker at his own terrible joke.]

[airskate]

[ Oh, this is interesting. It sounds like Apollo's knowledge is more than just theoretical here. ]

How much ground?

[ Hold on, he can be more specific. ]

If we were to start making one tonight, how many days of traveling before we wouldn't be able to use it?

[airskate]

Like what? I haven't seen any of the messages yet.

[airskate]

[ Flickering lights vs steady lights? Shadow considers that for a moment. ]

I don't think I've noticed any yet—but there must be many more stars than planets.

[airskate]

...

[ Shadow heaves a heavy sigh. ]

Just 'cool' is fine.

[faceguy]

Ah, come on! Have some fun with it!

[undyingcrow]

I found several calling cards from the Phantom Thieves, which makes little sense. Many of those cards are months old, and the Thieves are certainly not present here to my knowledge.

[Yet there they were all the same. It's almost taunting, really.]

[constantvrunning]

I am not sure how we'd verify any numbers, here.

[Not all astronomic data survived the Cataclysm...]

But stars are certainly easier to see; planets are only noticeable when they impact a star's orbit, or reflect its light. If there's other planets within this solar system, those are the likeliest - we've neither resources nor time to consider what else may be out there.

[The biggest threat appears to be parts of the moon, anyway.]

[guidemyway]

[Ruby is silent for a moment. She's trying to process just how exactly this works.

Then a little sigh can be heard.]

Okay.

That sort of makes sense. I think.

I don't know. I lost like three maps on one trip. So I cannot confirm or deny that this works.

[airskate]

[ ... Alright, so Ruby might be a little helpless when it comes to navigating. Still, Shadow will try to keep explaining. ]

Well, it does. And the stars are the same way. If there's a star that's always directly to the north, you'll always know where north is so long as you can find it.

And it's harder to lose tracks of stars than a map.

[airskate]

I'm trying to find out a way to explore this place without getting lost.

[airskate]

[ Resources... ]

You mean telescopes?

[airskate]

[ ... Oh. That's pretty concerning, even without knowing how Akechi feels about the Phantom Thieves. ]

That almost sounds like a taunt. Or a threat.

[constantvrunning]

Yes - we can make them by hand, but recreating the lenses will take very precise glass-shaping.

[Unless they're going for a very rudimentary one.]