# Best celestial objects to use to triangulate oneself in the galaxy? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Tags:** science-math\ **Created:** [October 5, 2026, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-celestial-objects-to-use-to-triangulate-oneself-in-the-galaxy/1033585 "2026-10-05T02:03:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 2\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2026, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-celestial-objects-to-use-to-triangulate-oneself-in-the-galaxy/1033585/1 "2026-10-05T02:03:51Z")
Was thinking of Planet of the Apes and them not realizing that they just returned to Earth in the future. Say you need to know where you are, and hence where Earth is, and thus which direction to head off on to get back (assume your vessel has Trek-style warp drive). If the other system in question is nearby it can probably be a cinch, just note the modest type F star in a constellation that normally doesn’t have such, and where Sirius and Vega and Alpha Centauri are at now, and that assumes you cannot ID the star you are in orbit around. A lot depends on how much data you have-Sirius’ spectrum and white dwarf companion could probably help identify her without too much trouble. 5,000 light years away, and you would presumably have a lot more trouble. Orion Nebula? Eta Carinae? Deneb? Various globular clusters would probably be your best bet. What if however you are on the other side of the galaxy? Then you would need M-31, M-33, and probably most Magellanic Clouds, assuming they aren’t all blocked by the Milky Way itself. * * * Was already thinking of starting this topic when I spied this post by @LSLGuy about navigating on the moon vis a vis where Earth is: > [@Blood at 35,000 feet: possible hijacking attempt on flight to Israel](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blood-at-35-000-feet-possible-hijacking-attempt-on-flight-to-israel/1033484/143): > > ETA: @Alesan made the same point much more succinctly while I was typing. Given that the Moon is tidally locked to the Earth, wherever the fellow’s quarters are on Moon, the Earth always hangs in (almost) the same place in the sky. What changes over time is the illumination phase of the Earth, which part of the Earth is facing the Moon, and whether it’s sunny or dark at his quarters on the Moon. But if facing the Earth as a whole is accurate enough, no need for moving parts at all. If they … ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2026, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-celestial-objects-to-use-to-triangulate-oneself-in-the-galaxy/1033585/2 "2026-10-05T03:22:04Z")
The Pioneer craft should Earth’s location relative to 14 pulsars. They differ in frequency. So if you could receive a few of those radio signals, I’d think you could locate the solar system.