Aster › Space program › Void Lighthouse
Void Lighthouse
Position on the route: 151/157 · level needed 1 · journey (Mk0 engine) 482.4 h
By the numbers
| Place | In the Milky Way’s disc, ≈ 12,000 light-years |
|---|---|
| Power | 100 RTGs + reactors |
| Communications | pulsar timing |
| Berths | 12 per member |
The story
Void Lighthouse stands near no star, about halfway between the Sun and the Galactic centre. Ships fix their position by the timing of millisecond pulsars; the lighthouse calibrates that timing. Pulsars are cosmic lighthouses.
Power comes from 100 RTGs and backup reactors. An emergency port on the longest journeys: hundreds of light-years of emptiness lie ahead and behind.
Missions
- Real counterparts: NASA SEXTANT/NICER (2017, pulsar-based navigation), the Pioneer plaque
Colony note
A port, not a settlement. Only members of the Terra Empire may dock (join from the War tab).
What probes bring back
- Pulsars are cosmic lighthouses: with the timing of millisecond pulsars a spacecraft can find its position to within kilometres (NASA SEXTANT, 2017).
- The Pioneer plaque and the Voyager golden record show the Sun’s position by means of pulsars.