Post by senko on Oct 22, 2019 5:22:56 GMT
I've just stumbled across the fact that Star Trek long range scanners have a range of 17 light years and it got me curious what the TARDIS's were. What I found is that they are massively different . . .
Scanner:What is used for the visual image on a screen in several episodes has a range of about 100 miles.
Scanner relocation trait: Up to 1 AU or the distance from earth to the sun.
Some forms of danger (Gm defined): 20 million light years away.
Temporal anomolies: 60 million light years away.
Scanner:What is used for the visual image on a screen in several episodes has a range of about 100 miles.
Scanner relocation trait: Up to 1 AU or the distance from earth to the sun.
Some forms of danger (Gm defined): 20 million light years away.
Temporal anomolies: 60 million light years away.
Laying aside the different series value which isn't an appropriate comparison that stil gives us ranges of 100 miles, earth to the sun, 20 million light years and 60 million light years. Even if you assume temporal energy is really noticeable surely there is some scanner system between well inside a solar system and halfway across the milky way (I vaguely recall it having a radius of around 50 million light years)?
So what would people say is a reasonable radius for scanning for things (dangers, black holes, wandering starships) to use as long range scanning where you don't get a visual picture of an area but can still retrieve information? Personally I'm leaning towards the some dangers and 20 million light years as a good value. High resolutation visual imaging and detailed information is possible at 100 miles, 1AU with the right trait. However you can still get good information out to 20 million light years its just at this range you'll be getting "energy readings, high metal content, light radiation = city on planet XXU of . . ." and so on you can't call up a visual image of the city but you can identify there's one there even if you aren't likely to pick up on the inhabitants beyond maybe "life signs". Out to 60 million miles you'll pick up on major events (supernovas, black holes, temporal anomolies) but only well enough to identify that they are there.
Thoughts?