You are here. The Really Big Picture.

You are here. The Really Big Picture.

Directions to Araxes from almost anywhere in the visible universe.

The Eridanus Cosmic Background Radiation Coldspot Supervoid can be detected from anywhere in the visible universe, start there.

The Eridanus Cosmic Background Radiation Coldspot Supervoid is located about 3 billion light-years from the Milky Way Galaxy, on the other side of the KBC Supervoid. The Eridanus Cosmic Background Radiation Coldspot Supervoid has a radius of about half a billion light-years, and is inexplicably mostly devoid of stellar masses.

The Shapely Great Attractor Dipole Repeller Void System is immediately adjacent to the outer edge of the KBC Supervoid, the largest known structure in the visible universe. The KBC Supervoid is about 2 billion light-years in diameter and is inexplicably mostly devoid of stellar masses.

Directions, if entering the Minkowski Continuum from the Norma Universe in and about the Great Attractor Edge of the Universe.

From the Great Attractor gravitational anomaly at the apparent central gravitational point of the Laniakea Supercluster, head towards the Virgo Supercluster in the Pisces Cetus Supercluster Complex.

The Pisces–Cetus Supercluster Complex is near the so-called "Edge of the Universe", where the Great Attractor from a neighbouring universe named Norma caused enormous gravitational influence (known as the dark flow phenomena) over the recent billions of years of the local supercluster complexes. The edge of Great Attractor is located about 150-250 million light-years away is possibly has a relation to the Shapely Attractor 650 million light-years. On the opposite side is the Dipole Repeller Void, which is on the opposite side of the Great Attractor, also about 150-250 million light-years away. The Dipole Repeller Void is the point of reference where all of the local supercluster complexes appear to be moving away from.

The Pisces–Cetus Supercluster Complex is the tenth largest structures in the visible universe, approximately 1 billion light-years long and 150 million light-years in diameter.

The Pisces–Cetus Supercluster Complex includes over one quintillion (one billion billion or 10^18) solar masses, it includes our own local Laniakea Supercluster Complex, and its neighbouring Pisces-Cetus Supercluster, Perseus-Pegasus chain, Perseus-Pisces Supercluster, Pegasus-Pisces chain, and the Sculptor region.

The Laniakea Supercluster Complex contains about 100,000 galaxies including our local Virgo Supercluster as well as the neighbouring Hydra-Centaurus Supercluster, the Great Attractor gravitational point near Norma, the Antlia Wall known as Hydra Supercluster, the Centaurus Supercluster, Pavo-Indus Supercluster, and the Southern Supercluster including Fornax Cluster (S373), Dorado and Eridanus cloud.

The Virgo Supercluster contains 100 Galaxies and clusters, is about 110 million light-years in diameter, and most notably contains the local Milky Way Galaxy Cluster, and its neighbouring Andromeda and Triangulum Galactic Clusters.

Avoid the turnoff for the Virgo Supercluster and continue on to the Greater Andromeda Cluster of Galaxies. Take a hard left at Andromeda and continue on about 2.5 Million light-years to The Mutter’s Spiral, a typical barred spiral galaxy, but you can’t miss it.

The Tannhauser Domain (also designated as OA Galactic Sector 2814) is part of the Orion’s Arm, but also known as Orion–Cygnus Arm, Local Arm, Orion Bridge, and formerly the Local Spur and Orion Spur.

The Tannhauser Domain is one of 3600 Imperium geographic divisions of the local Milky Way Galaxy (also known as the Mutter’s Spiral). It is about 1500 light-years across.

Once at the Orion-Cygnus Arm, it is easy to get side tracked by the Butterfly Cluseter, The Ptolemy Cluster, Dumbell Nebula, Winnecke 4, Orion Nebula, De Mairan’s Nebula, Beehive Cluster, Pleiades, Ring Nebula, and the Owl Nebula. A little bit of sight seeing is common.

Your best bet is to head towards the Orion Nebula, but you are going to stop short of the Pleiades. Certainly a lot of fans of Hastur and Cthulu out there, but just trust us on this one. Regardless, if you find yourself in the Pleiade or the Taurus Dark Nebula, you’re gone too far. However, Rigel is a popular tourist location. Once you are within unaided visual range of the Pleiades, you will find yourself within the four ‘border stars’ of the Solomani Rim: Deneb, Rigel, Antares and Canopus. You will have to look them up on your own time, but they are distinctive, you will be able to easily point them out. The kids will love it.

Anyway, you should find yourself in a volume of space about 300 lightyears in diameter known as the Geminga Sphere, Gh'è minga Sphere in some of the older tourguides, or more dryly as the Local Bubble in the unimaginative scientific journals. The Geminga (Gh'è-minga) Sphere is approximately 300 light-years in diameter, one of about 170 local groupings of stars in The Tannhauser Domain. The Gh'è minga Sphere is a volume of space where the majority of the interstellar dust has been washed away from the supposed crossfire of the shockwave of two supernova tens of millions of years ago. There are some alternate theories, but meh, we like the traditional explanation, else the name loses its meaning. The remnant particles are only a tenth of the average density of interstellar medium, but they are still somewhat excited in the x-ray band still from the supernova shockwave, which might require some recalibration of your sensor array.

The majority of the members of the United Federation of Planets is contained within the Geminga (Gh'è-minga) Sphere. Rimward (contra Coreward) from the Geminga Sphere is the Betelgeuse/Bellatrix Tannhauser Zone, and then further rimward is the Rigel Sphere (more properly known as the Orion Eridanus Loop). Coreward is the Antares Cloud. Spinward is the Cygni Sphere (sometimes humbly known as Loop III) which contains the Schedar Marches.

The Geminga (Gh'è-minga) Sphere is approximately 300 light-years in diameter, one of about 170 local groupings of stars in The Tannhauser Domain.

A little bit coreward and slightly contra-spinward is a modest cluster of planets within a residual dust cloud flowing outwards from the Scorpius-Centauus Association.

The kids are going to want to visit Sirius, I mean who doesn’t. It is the brightest star in the cluster and very easy to find. It’s on every local star chart. Be sure to stop by the Sirius-B I Love Lucy Fan Club, they have been archiving television and radio transmissions from Old Sol Earth that was since the mid 20th century, 1937 for radio, 1947 for television. You won’t regret it. The kid’ll love it. Current day Earthicans and colonies formed from Earth refugees are considered unreliable sources of information about Earth History. Most people prefer to delve into the original sources at the Sirius-B I Love Lucy Fan Club Television and Movie Archives.

From Sirius, Old Sol Earth-that-was is easy to find. Point both spinward and coreward about equally, point and push, only 8.6 light-years.

From there, the Mu Draconis Sphere of Influence is near the spinward edge of the Geminga Sphere, it is a cluster of stars about 54 light-years in diameter.

Neighbouring Spheres of Influence includes the nearby Ferengi just coreward. Further coreward from the Ferengi is the Fesarians (the self proclaimed First Federation), then the furry enclaves of the Lyran and Kzinti Space. Rimward from the Mu Draconis Sphere of Influence is the Tzenkethi Coalition, then the Gamarian Colonies and the Cardassian Union, then the Talarian Republic. Spinward from the Mu Draconis Sphere of Influence towards the Core is the Breen Confederacy, spinwards towards the Rim is the Tholian Assembly. Be wary, they are generally irritable for reasons I don’t fully understand.

It should be pointed out that the volume of space around the Mu Draconis Sphere of influence has a much higher than average amount of active emission nebula, at least two dark matter nebula, plus a myriad of spatial, temporal, subspace, and hyperspace anomalies which are responsible for many ship disappearances; navigation can be treacherous if one decides to stray from the established and well patrolled space lanes. There used to be a popular ‘reality show’ about an improbable intrepid accident prone Federataionalist crew from the so-called Star Fleet Torchwood Command, who fell victim almost weekly to one form of dangerous anomaly or another that infests our local volume of space. It has created a lasting impression that Federationalist’s Star Fleet are reckless and accident prone although they do produce quality entertainments. There is a larger concentration rimward from the Mu Draconis Sphere of influence, a sort of moat between it and the Tzenkethi, Gamarian the Cardassians, and the Talarians. Which is fortunate, due to their aforementioned irritability.

Contra-Spinward from the Mu Draconis Sphere of influence is spinward extent of the United Federation of Planets Sphere of Influence. The nearest Federationalist member systems to Mu Draconis are Denobula Triaxa, Trillius, and Bajor, each about 50 light-years from Mu Draconis.

While the nearest Orion colonies are on the other side of the United Federation of Planets from Mu Draconis, there are at least two relatively nearby star systems which have a substantial Orion business presence in New Sydney in the Sappora (Sapporo) Star System, the Farian Star System, and presumably the Galador Star System.

Unsurprisingly, Mu Draconis is located at the center of the Mu Draconis Sphere of influence.

Mu Draconis is a binary star system which includes a third rogue star which is in a semi-stable orbit which will probably break off in about 8-10 million years and continue on its way. Mu Draconis Beta does not contain any inhabitable planets or moons, but does contain the Yazvi Gas Giant and the Lagrangian Dagda Meteoroid Cluster which is a popular mooring spot from outside of the system. Araxes is located in the inner solar system of Mu Draconis Alpha.

Due to the nature of the unorthodox asteroid mining methods of the indigenous Desertborn people, Araxes has a large amount of near planetary meteoroids for mining, usually on a capture orbit along the Interplanetary Transit System that connects the various metastable Lagrangian points in the solar system.

Between Mu Draconis Alpha and Beta is a dynamic Kuiper belt, that due to the intersection is particularly treacherous, maps cannot be depended upon to navigate thru the Kuiper Zone.

There is a three-point zone where the solar winds of Mu Draconis Alpha, Beta, and rogue Gamma intersect, which is very difficult for sensors and navigation.

Mu Draconis Alpha, Beta, and rogue Gama are all especially prone to solar plasma ejecta and solar storms, please consult your astrogation weather reports, don’t just depend on sensors which can be easily foiled by the solar storms and the rotating heliospheric current sheet.

Splintered Rock Starport in located just north of the equator on the eastern slope of the highest mountain on the planet. Originally planned as the site of a space elevator, the plans have been scrapped since the Spice Wars 1000 years ago.

Please note, the Concordat Dynasty of the Trantorian Galactic Imperium, not the local planetary government, still maintains jurisdiction over the Splintered Rock Starport and its esplanade, the Imperium Refinery, and the Guild Citadel. Imperial Law prevails in those three zones. Araxes City is just south of the Splintered Rock Starport and is governed under the jurisdiction of the Araxes Borealis Government. Mount Jofar, where the Hall of Winds and the Arena is located, is also governed under the jurisdiction of the Araxes Borealis Government. Across the southern open deserts of Bourbon, on the Western slope of the Equatorial First Landing Mons is the Araxes Freeport, which by Imperial Patent does not charge tariffs and is not under Imperium Jurisdiction. Although bound by the patent to obey "The Forms", which includes the commonly accepted Galactic Admiralty Laws, the Freeport is currently administered by the Desertborn House Kwairif.

As part of the Compact which ended the Spice Wars, the Desertborn control as a self ruling Autonomous Zone, the entire southern hemisphere of Araxes, the Araxes Australis. In practice, there is a border zone where neither Araxes Australis nor Araxes Borealis maintains exclusive jurisdiction. The border zone is mostly given over to the whims of the treacherous weather and the dangerous creatures of the open desert, there has been a travel advisory in effect for the past 850 years.

We’ll leave the light on for you.