Where is Outland relative to Azeroth?

[Dormie]

Is it in the same universe/galaxy? What is Outland exactly? Is it just a large continent floating out in space? Is it attached to anything? Obviously there is a world beyond Outland since they had the space ship in Area 52 and there are planets/stars in Outland's sky.

So, where is Outland, and what exactly is the land mass?

[checking facts]

floating up in the sky. you can see azeroth from illidan's terrace in the black temple.

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[Deleted]

If I'm not mistaken i believe you can see Azeroth from the top of Black Temple.. So can't be that far apart :P

[cuafpr]

O.o i never realized that.....

[Herecius]

Outland is within an extra-dimensional space known as the Twisting Nether, which is different from actual outer space, known in Warcraft terms as 'the great dark.'

This is because Outland (formerly Draenor) was ripped apart by the many hundreds, if not thousands of portals to various worlds opened by Ner'zhul and Gul'Dan. It is now just floating through the extra-dimensional Twisting Nether as shards of its former, whole self.

The fact that you can see Azeroth from the top of the Black Temple does not mean anything in relation to its actual location, but rather only emphasizes the fact that Outland is outside of space and time, full of windows to other worlds. This is why you can see so many other worlds in its skies.

[slackjawsix]

oh damn, learn something new everyday, so i guess there in the same solar system

[Daetur]

"The Exodar's history is a short one, beginning with its departure from Draenor [Outland] and its short journey through the Twisting Nether to Azeroth... The blood elves, discovering what the draenei were planning, sabotaged the dimensional engines of the vessel. When the draenei activated it, the engine malfunctioned and sent the Exodar hurtling out of control through the Twisting Nether until it reached the closest habitable planet, Azeroth." Wowpedia.

So, it's probably the same galaxy, or even solar system. However, the Exodar was a "dimensional" ship, and may have hopped through space/time in some way, so we can't be quite sure.

[Herecius]

"The Exodar's history is a short one, beginning with its departure from Draenor [Outland] and its short journey through the Twisting Nether to Azeroth... The blood elves, discovering what the draenei were planning, sabotaged the dimensional engines of the vessel. When the draenei activated it, the engine malfunctioned and sent the Exodar hurtling out of control through the Twisting Nether until it reached the closest habitable planet, Azeroth." Wowpedia.

So, it's probably the same galaxy, or even solar system. However, the Exodar was a "dimensional" ship, and may have hopped through space/time in some way, so we can't be quite sure.

We can probably infer that with the Exodar being a dimensional ship, and with the only truly stable portal in Outland to another world being Azeroth's Dark Portal, it's probably likely that 'closest habitable planet' still ends up being Azeroth even when talking on a scale of totally different dimensions. That's my take on it anyways!

[TheWindWalker]

Multi-universe would seem to be pushing it heavily. I'd bet on it being within the same galaxy and Illidan's view being a projected image as it's not visible from anywhere else.

[Kaleredar]

In lore? Outland is floating in the twisting Nether (extra dimensional void stuff,) while Azeroth is in the great dark (space)

I'm more convinced that they added a visible Azeroth from Back Temple because it would look cool than any actual proximity implications.

[OzoAndIndi]

So... it's basically Mars. Hellfire, I could see it, just still alive at the surface.

[Anvilwright]

Is it in the same universe/galaxy? What is Outland exactly? Is it just a large continent floating out in space? Is it attached to anything? Obviously there is a world beyond Outland since they had the space ship in Area 52 and there are planets/stars in Outland's sky.

So, where is Outland, and what exactly is the land mass?

It is in the same universe. Outland is the remaining remnants of the world known as Draenor, the homeworld for the Orcs and where the Draenei took refuge after fleeing their homeworld, Argus, from the Burning Legion. Back in the day, an orc by the name of Ner'zhul was attempting to open many portals to other worlds on the world of Draenor. However, the spell he used to open these portals was SO powerful that it eventually ruptured the world, throwing it into the Twisting Nether where it is located today.

If you wanna know about the Twisting Nether, I highly recommend going ahead and reading its article on wowpedia. It's too complicated for me to really give you a detailed analysis of it. Basically, think of the Twisting Nether in the Great Dark Beyond as a jet stream in the ocean.

[Azahel]

Outland is within an extra-dimensional space known as the Twisting Nether, which is different from actual outer space, known in Warcraft terms as 'the great dark.'

This is because Outland (formerly Draenor) was ripped apart by the many hundreds, if not thousands of portals to various worlds opened by Ner'zhul and Gul'Dan. It is now just floating through the extra-dimensional Twisting Nether as shards of its former, whole self.

The fact that you can see Azeroth from the top of the Black Temple does not mean anything in relation to its actual location, but rather only emphasizes the fact that Outland is outside of space and time, full of windows to other worlds. This is why you can see so many other worlds in its skies.

THIS
If you read the "unbroken" short story it tells what happens when Draenon blows up and now you can see other worlds and other dimensions. Just like the planets you can see from nagrand