Dyson sphere concept

E17016

The Dyson sphere concept is a hypothetical megastructure that completely or partially surrounds a star to capture a significant portion of its energy output for an advanced civilization’s use.

Aliases (2)

Statements (53)
Predicate Object
instanceOf astroengineering concept
hypothetical megastructure concept
theoretical construct
appliesTo stars
associatedWith Kardashev scale
Type II civilization
extraterrestrial intelligence
waste heat infrared signatures
category megastructures in astronomy
describedAs hypothetical megastructure that surrounds a star to capture a large fraction of its energy output
DysonBubbleDefinition set of statites using light pressure to hover around a star
DysonShellDefinition rigid continuous shell completely enclosing a star
DysonSwarmDefinition large number of independent orbiting collectors around a star
energySource stellar radiation
engineeringChallenge enormous material requirements
long-term structural integrity
orbital stability
thermal management
feasibilityStatus speculative
field SETI
astroengineering
astronomy
futures studies
firstDescribedIn Science journal paper "Search for Artificial Stellar Sources of Infrared Radiation"
goal capture stellar energy for an advanced civilization
maximize usable energy from a star
implication civilization with energy use comparable to total output of its star
inspiredBy Olaf Stapledon
inspiredByWork Star Maker
namedAfter Freeman Dyson
observationalSignature star with reduced visible light and increased infrared output
originalPurpose method to search for advanced extraterrestrial civilizations
predict observational signatures of large-scale astroengineering
proposedBy Freeman Dyson
publicationYear 1960
relatedConcept Alderson disk
Niven ring
Ringworld
stellar engine
requires extremely advanced technology
large-scale space industry
massive energy investment
scale stellar scale megastructure
searchMethod infrared sky surveys
looking for excess mid-infrared emission from stars
usedIn science fiction
speculative science
variant Dyson bubble
Dyson ring
Dyson shell
Dyson swarm
Matrioshka brain
partial Dyson sphere

Referenced by (5)
Subject (surface form when different) Predicate
Kardashev scale ("Dyson sphere")
Kardashev scale ("Dyson swarm")
relatedConcept
Search for Artificial Stellar Sources of Infrared Radiation ("Dyson sphere")
mainSubject
Freeman Dyson
notableWork
Dyson sphere concept ("Dyson swarm")
variant

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