Current Events > 'Dyson sphere' megastructures could surround at least 7 stars in our galaxy

(+) Yeah! (+)

Must be a really big one if it covers 7 stars.

LeoRavus posted...

No matter how advanced, where would the civilization get enough materials to surround an entire star? Even the smallest known red dwarf is 13 times the size of earth. Imagine trying to gather enough stuff to go around something like that or way larger.

The common perception of a Dyson Sphere is that of a colossal structure several kilometers wide, but why cannot it not be made of solar panels only a few meters thick and ten meters wide?

Foppe posted...

Must be a really big one if it covers 7 stars.

7 stars? Feels like it's that specific kind of Dyson Sphere known as a Nebula tbh.

Nvm my mistake, the 7 stars aren't together of course, just candidates.

I read "Dyson Sphere" and pictured in my head some sort of giant celestial vacuum cleaner >_>

FL81 posted...

I read "Dyson Sphere" and pictured in my head some sort of giant celestial vacuum cleaner >_>

She's gone from suck to blow.

Pikachuchupika posted...

What if this time it's for real?

What if it wasnt dust like the dozens of other times, but actual aliens doing the exact thing popscience sci-fi dreamed up?

Id have some Tesla bots explore wtf happened on planet Ragol.

Shotgunnova posted...

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/1/1ad38ee9.jpg

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/8/84255f5c.jpg

IfGodCouldDie posted...

It's not unimaginable if it's already been imagined lol

The amount of effort and resources has yet to be imagined.

If a civilization was so advanced I imagine theyd use something like fusion reactors instead of needing Dyson spheres. Those sound dumb but I also dont really get them.

boomgetchopped3 posted...

If a civilization was so advanced I imagine theyd use something like fusion reactors instead of needing Dyson spheres. Those sound dumb but I also dont really get them.

A Dyson Sphere is utilizing one of the largest fusion reactors in the universe.

RetuenOfDevsman posted...

The amount of effort and resources has yet to be imagined.

I'd be willing to bet someone has imagined the amount of resources and effort it would take.

I am crossing my fingers the JWT will capture some images of these stars and see that they are dysons. Maybe they already have and are waiting from high up on the decision to release to the public. Maybe they already captured images of aliens!

All seven stars highlighted by the study are M-dwarf stars a class of main sequence stars that are smaller and dimmer than the sun.

This bit is interesting to me because it's not what I would have expected. Smaller or dwarf stars have less mass to spur on the greater fusion reactions and probably put out less energy. But they're also smaller so they probably take much less in terms of resources to surround.

As for the concept of a full on sphere, I find that insanely impractical though. Not from a resources standpoint but an engineering one. As soon as you move away from, say, a ring of multiple smaller pieces (or the "Swarm" types they mention in that article), you stop having the gravity well of the star helping you orbit and instead have it trying to collapse your structure. Wires running between ring elements would likely allow for energy transfer while preserving formation without subverting the orbit. We're currently trying to develop wire materials of these sorts of strengths as a prerequisite to create a space elevator.

You could get closer to a sphere with multiple rings at different orbit heights and angles, but a sphere by itself is wholly infeasible. You'd lose some energy in overlap but probably make it up by increased coverage. For a full sphere though, forget the difficulty of not having materials that could withstand the stresses of a full structure fighting a star's gravity, even a swarm wouldn't be able to hold a spherical formation in orbit. You'd burn all the energy you harvested and then some even trying.

How would they know if an advanced alien Dyson Sphere would heat up? It could be efficient enough that it doesnt waste much/any heat

Life on earth? We got life in the Dyson.

GeminiDeus posted...

If there's anything that I'd like to know for certain before I die, is that there is actually intelligent life out there.

It's debatable there's even intelligent life here. Forget the rest of the Universe.

Crazyman93 posted...

It's debatable there's even intelligent life here. Forget the rest of the Universe.

You really believe Earth's the only exception?

Thompson posted...

You really believe Earth's the only exception?

Oh, no, not at all. Infinite universe means assuming we're it is arrogant as hell. But if they're like us, we'll never see them. They're unable to launch through the cloud of space junk around their planet at best or wiped themselves out at worst.

And in the same vein, if we do get visited by intelligent life and we assume they're like us, it's going to suck for Earth.

Crazyman93 posted...

Oh, no, not at all. Infinite universe means assuming we're it is arrogant as hell. But if they're like us, we'll never see them. They're unable to launch through the cloud of space junk around their planet at best or wiped themselves out at worst.

And in the same vein, if we do get visited by intelligent life and we assume they're like us, it's going to suck for Earth.

But is it not also arrogant to assume that intelligent life must be like us?

Horith posted...

Everything about Dyson spheres is so tremendously impractical. Not just the entire shell concept, a fully encapsulated star, due to the sheer amount of material and the forces involved. But even a network of orbiting objects around a star has such tremendous energy needs that the energy being captured wouldn't be even close to what it took to put it there. Continued maintenance, converting the radiant energy into something useful and getting that energy where it would need to go, etc.

Any civilization capable of building a Dyson sphere most likely wouldn't need one.

This. I mean come on, people.

all i want is a planet of Asari. even just a space station would do just send me there

Hyena_Of_Ice posted...

This. I mean come on, people.

maintenance could be done by robots.