NQ2 or NQ3 or NGQ3

[Luke Emmet]

On 04-Sep-2020 16:16, acdw wrote:
> On 2020-09-04 (Friday) at 11:47, Luke Emmet<luke at marmaladefoo.com>  wrote:
>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galactic_quadrant#/media/File:Galactic_quadrants.png
>>
>> Could it be the shocking truth one of these pages on wikipedia is wrong?
>> Also its not unknown for my understanding to be deeply flawed. I'm
>> inclined to go with the page about galactic quadrants as it has a
>> diagram, but to be honest if anyone has expertise in this area, it would
>> be great to clear this up, so normal service can continue.
> I had no idea about this, and lo and behold you're right -- though, with more research, I *think* (the astonomical writings I'll put below are hard to figure out) that it's due to a difference in frames of reference.
>
> Apparently, most astronomical observations are made from the "equatorial coordinates" -- which are extensions of the terrestrial equator out into space. I'm guessing "NQ2" refers to Gemini with that system.
>
> However, "galactic coordinates" use the plane of the galaxy (mostly) as the equator, which means that from that perspective, things are in different quadrants -- I think in this system, Gemini is in NGQ3.

Yes you're right there are different reference systems, so coordinates 
will vary accordingly. What I couldn't get from those links is anything 
to resolve the naming question or whether a constellation could be both 
in quadrants named both "NQ2" and "NGQ3" in different schemes.

In 50 years time the historians will wonder why there was a fundamental 
naming quirk within the hypertext system that replaced the web. No one 
will know about the wikipedia pages and the naming convention will 
become re-mythologised to take on other cultural symbolism.

Or maybe not.

  - L