this post was submitted on 29 Aug 2026
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[–] Simulation6@sopuli.xyz 35 points 22 hours ago (1 children)

Don't these fields fluctuate in some currently not understood way?

[–] edg@lemmy.world 38 points 22 hours ago (1 children)

Yes, constantly. The prepared map becomes less accurate over time.

[–] zaphod@sopuli.xyz 19 points 21 hours ago (2 children)

So you constantly need updated maps. Reminds me of celestial navigation where you always need an up-to-date almanac.

[–] Bluewing@lemmy.world 18 points 20 hours ago

Hhhmmmm, sounds perfect for the subscription model......

[–] ReluctantMuskrat@lemmy.world 7 points 19 hours ago (1 children)

But how do you get your position to update your map? Oh... GPS will work!

[–] zaphod@sopuli.xyz 6 points 19 hours ago (1 children)

What? You just download a new map for the area you want to go to every year or so, no need for GPS

[–] ReluctantMuskrat@lemmy.world 3 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

I'm not sure you got me. How do the map makers update the map? If the gravity variance changes so it can't be used to determine your position then clearly you need some other way to determine your position to update the gravity map. And what might that be??

[–] zaphod@sopuli.xyz 3 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

Using the same reference points on earth that GPS uses, that doesn't mean using GPS.

[–] ReluctantMuskrat@lemmy.world 2 points 14 hours ago

That doesn't work too well out in the ocean and lots of other places too. If you can't use your gravity map, you're gonna use GPS for precise position data.