Questions tagged [dyson-spheres]
For questions about star-enclosing megastructures. For structures that merely form a ring or circular cloud around a star, use [dyson-ring].
63
questions
1
vote
2answers
102 views
When can I have my megastructures? [closed]
I'm building a science fiction setting. The present is just like ours.
Some time in the middle of the 21st century, humanity invents technology that allows travel to nearby stars within months. By the ...
12
votes
4answers
1k views
Would the displacement of materials caused by creating a Dyson Swarm have an impact on Orbital Mechanics (the n-body problem)?
I'm learning about how to account for the fact that we can't really model (to a perfect degree of accuracy) an Orbital system with more than two bodies - I [very, very barely] understand this as the n-...
0
votes
5answers
116 views
How a Kardashev type 2 civilization with no FTL would conquer an analog of the Federation from *Star Trek*? [closed]
Let's say a Kardashev type 2 civilization composed of a dyson swarm discovers a galactic federation, likes what they see, and decides to take it. However the Kardashev type 2 civilization lacks FTL, ...
8
votes
2answers
145 views
Reality check: Could a diamagnetic gold shell around a planet exist?
Could a gold shell around a planet exist, suspended by a magnetic field (gold is diamagnetic), given the following constraints?
A gold layer enveloping a planet, arbitrarily thin.
Unspecified height, ...
5
votes
1answer
105 views
What temperature would the surface of a Dyson sphere be
Assuming a Dyson sphere is absorbing all of the energy of the sun it surrounds, then eventually that energy will be dissipated into space, presumably by radiating it away with some equivalent black ...
24
votes
12answers
7k views
How might my futuristic interstellar civilisation have missed a Dyson swarm on their doorstep?
It's the future. The setting is about as "hard-ish sci-fi" as it is possible to be, with the one big exception of a viable FTL engine. Humans have began spreading out into the galaxy, colonising ...
4
votes
3answers
170 views
Would a Dyson sphere be useful as a means of power generation?
I have heard people (quite possibly on this site) say that by the time a civilization is able to make Dyson sphere it will be useless to build one for power and energy needs. So, would a civilization ...
9
votes
5answers
832 views
How would a Dyson Swarm transmit energy to the Earth?
The Dyson Swarm is common in sci fi as an energy source, and sometimes also as a powerful weapon. As it is commonly understood, it harnesses the energy of the sun, which stores a vast amount of energy....
9
votes
7answers
253 views
What tech would aliens use to harvest/alter our star and why?
I'm trying to create a scenario where the local star is "quickly" (suddenly up to thousands of years) removed, dimmed with reduced output, destroyed (maybe), or otherwise fundamentally changed as to ...
4
votes
2answers
473 views
Dyson Sphere only ever possible theoretically
Assume technology more advanced than current levels, let us theorise for this question that we are capable of reaching and if needed extracting material from any planet or moon / body in our solar ...
13
votes
9answers
6k views
How to tell a blackhole from a neutron star covered entirely by Dyson sphere painted in vantablack?
In a galaxy far far away... M6760 (I made it up) is an unusually massive neutron star billions of light years away and it is surrounded by a spherical Dyson sphere painted in new improved formula ...
5
votes
2answers
136 views
How would a Dyson Swarm affect the temperature and light reaching the earth?
So, I'm creating a world in a dystopia format and I'm curious on other peoples opinion about how they would think a fully enveloping Dyson Swarm would affect the earth's temperature. I want the swarm ...
1
vote
4answers
278 views
What is a realistic based Situation in which a Dyson Sphere could be created?
I felt inspired, and I wanted to write about the future of our lives.
Setting: If one had to guess, what year would we most likely be able to build a super-structure like a Dyson-Sphere around the ...
4
votes
4answers
426 views
Where could materials to build a Dyson swarm come from?
Let's assume we want to build a Dyson swarm that collects over 90% of the energy from the sun and orbits between the Earth and the sun. Also assume that we want to get none of the resources to build ...
36
votes
9answers
8k views
What reason would an alien civilization have for building a Dyson Sphere (or Swarm) if cheap Nuclear fusion is available?
The Dyson Dilemma states that every civilization of a great enough development stage will want to capture all of the energy from its home star and surround it with a Dyson Swarm that uses solar panels ...
3
votes
3answers
3k views
What could exist inside and between the walls of a Dyson Sphere?
According to FutureTimeline.net, A Dyson sphere could be built around the solar system around the year 3100 when the world reach the Kardashev type 2 scale. This is what is written there about the ...
14
votes
6answers
4k views
Inhabiting Mars versus going straight for a Dyson swarm
My question is as follows - let's assume our objective function is to have as many humans as possible living outside the confines of the Earth as soon as possible. For this, we need to provide those ...
7
votes
1answer
97 views
How much does the ecosphere weigh?
So, we've gone off to another star system and decided to build a Dyson bubble--a continuous statite, supported by radiation pressure, surrounding a star--with a surface gravity of 1g to live on.
Now, ...
-2
votes
4answers
283 views
Why would god-like aliens experience boredom? [closed]
On planet Methuselah, the oldest planet in existence, there exists a race of beings that seem to be, in most definitions of the word, gods. They can form objects out of pure energy, have strength ...
0
votes
3answers
134 views
What should my Dyson Sphere be called [closed]
I have written out a Dyson Sphere world with four cities that surround four colossal oceans (each >16000000x the volume of jupiter). I've worked on the flora, fauna, government, pseudo-gravity and so ...
1
vote
4answers
465 views
Alternative to gravity inside a Dyson Sphere?
On the inside of a Dyson sphere there is effectively no gravity. Is there an alternative method to keep people on the inside surface from floating around?
I know it could spin and that would keep ...
1
vote
5answers
307 views
Should my Dyson Sphere be bigger? (Climate/habitable zone)
My world is a 1AU radius, 12000km thick Dyson Sphere with 6 equally spaced holes, 4 filled with water. The two main problems I have are gravity and heat. This question concerns heat and how to stop ...
0
votes
1answer
140 views
Possibility of a dyson sphere-esque structure with earth physics? [duplicate]
I have an idea for a DS-like world setting mostly set after the year 4200. The Earth was destroyed around 2500 and humanity moved from earth to an asteroid best and built a giant dyson sphere to live ...
4
votes
6answers
488 views
How would gravity affect a structure that completely encircled the earth
If a circular structure could be built that would wrap around the entire earth, but was of a larger radius, would it 'float' above the earths surface or would it somehow fall onto the surface at some ...
0
votes
1answer
162 views
Can an Earth like planet support life by building a Dyson Sphere across a White Dwarf or a Red Dwarf star? [closed]
Is it possible to depend on a white dwarf as our power source, provided that we harness 99% of energy?
Can life be sustained?
How it will change the climate and the seasons of earth if it is our ...
2
votes
2answers
171 views
Has realistic climate modelling been done for inverted Dyson spheres or similar?
While there are approaches to make a habitable Dyson sphere that are technically reasonable, I am curious about what the climate would be like. For simplicity, consider a scenario where a thick shell ...
6
votes
3answers
220 views
Would there be gravity on the plates of a Dyson swarm?
I've heard several schools of thought. From a hard science standpoint, could there be gravity on the habitable surface of a Dyson Swarm plate?
I keep thinking no. But if the outer shell were to be ...
4
votes
2answers
237 views
Interstellar construction between star systems
Asked a similar question before but didn't think it through and mangled it.
Anyway would it be possible to build a structure between two star systems?
Basic scenario is that you have two stars ...
0
votes
1answer
343 views
Tiniest habitable dyson spheres
A long, long time ago, in a galaxy far away...
There lived a great and powerful civilisation who built a dyson sphere around the smaller of two stars in a binary star system and built a habitable ...
2
votes
2answers
396 views
Would this “reverse Dyson sphere”/“light-bridge” idea work?
So the idea is some hyper advanced civilization has figured out a way to send multi generational ships through space to other planets. The ships are self contained living ecosystems with near perfect ...
2
votes
5answers
2k views
Logical reasons for Forgoing a Dyson Swarm
In my Universe, the Colonization efforts and collapse of Earth leads to the rise of organic populations, nations, and cultures all across the Solar-System. Every planet and moon with hydro-static ...
4
votes
2answers
180 views
Barycentric/Orbital stability of a Dyson Sphere and Central Star
Can a Dyson Sphere and a star inside of the Dyson Sphere, both have a "stable" orbit around the barycentre of a system where they are not the most massive objects? And/Or Can they both orbit together ...
2
votes
2answers
306 views
Visibility of a Dyson ring/swarm
There have been several questions about the construction, operation and destruction of a Dyson sphere. I'm interested in something a bit less exciting: how far out can you still see it from?
Assume ...
-2
votes
2answers
223 views
Viability of a Dyson Universe? [closed]
So going beyond the idea of a Dyson Sphere where could a Dyson Universe be possible?
The Idea of a Dyson Universe is like a Dyson sphere with massive celestial engineering and construction in the ...
11
votes
3answers
527 views
When and how would a Dyson sphere civilization in a fantasy setting learn size and shape of the sphere?
Working with this question but with more of a fantasy bent, I was wondering how long it would take a civilization to learn/realize that they lived on the inside of a Dyson sphere (or hollow earth or ...
20
votes
6answers
6k views
Would building a Dyson sphere inside the Earth's orbit render our planet uninhabitable?
The year is 3030 and the robots (who have replaced humanity as the dominant intelligent beings on Earth) have decided to build a Dyson sphere around the sun. They're planning on disassembling Venus ...
0
votes
1answer
146 views
How could you protect a Dyson Shell? [closed]
As you may or not be aware, we have a wonderful bubble created by the Sun. This Heliosphere (or bubble) protects us from plasma and other debris coming at us from the interstellar medium.
I have read ...
23
votes
10answers
5k views
What to do with all the heat in a Dyson Sphere?
In the wake of this, my answer to this question about where to put a Dyson Sphere an apparent issue came up. And it needs some good resolution:
What are we going to do with all that heat the system ...
6
votes
5answers
613 views
Where do you put a photosynthetic Dyson sphere?
One of the answers to What could make a star green? describes a living Dyson sphere made of photosynthetic, plant-like material.
What type of star or star system is ideal for a plant-like Dyson ...
1
vote
3answers
756 views
Is there a Dyson-like megastructure that would not block out the sun?
If I have a typical Dyson sphere, around my star, it will block the light needed to live on an orbiting planet.
Is there any other megastructure that can function like a Dyson Sphere, but does allow ...
5
votes
5answers
453 views
How long does a component of a Dyson swarm spend in shadow?
I'm building a Dyson sphere - a real one, like Freeman Dyson originally proposed, made of swarms of solar collectors in independent orbits that fully surround the star, something like this:
Each ...
6
votes
4answers
259 views
How would temperature variation work on the inside surface of a Dyson sphere?
Let's say I have a Dyson sphere roughly the same size of the earth with a very small "star" in the center. Continents, oceans, and people inside the sphere experience a reverse gravity in the opposite ...
0
votes
2answers
211 views
Dark matter caused by Matrioshka Systems
It seems like Dyson Spheres are always brought up in the context of harvesting power. However, another use for a Dyson Sphere may be to cloak your solar system/inner planets. If the star's output ...
4
votes
3answers
395 views
Source of breathable air to fill Dyson sphere shell
So let's say you have a Dyson sphere that is 5 kilometers thick . Now, it isn't solid. It's meant to be inhabited. There's the inner shell which is completely covered with solar panels and any other ...
-2
votes
1answer
148 views
What are multiple scientificly plausible methods of faster then light travel [closed]
I'm trying to figure out several methods of FTL, that are actually theoretically possible.
ALSO, What would be a viable method of high-speed travel, particularly in a Dyson-sphere (Well, A chunk of ...
3
votes
1answer
118 views
Would people living on different ringworlds around the same star measure time differently?
Okay so I have a sci-fi world masquerading as a fantasy world where numerous different genetically-engineered humanoids live on nine different ringworlds orbiting an artificial Earth-mass black hole (...
4
votes
2answers
344 views
How would lack of stars , sundials , and compasses affect the exploration age?
In my fictitious universe, a god like entity ( which is an amalgam of all individuals , scientific understanding , capabilities , and tech of a type 3.5 civilization ) produces a sun with the same ...
6
votes
4answers
348 views
Seasons in a Dyson sphere
In my fictitious universe, a god like entity ( which is an amalgam of all individuals , scientific understanding , capabilities , and tech of a type 3.5 civilization ) produces a sun with the same ...
4
votes
1answer
220 views
Regional Climate in a Dyson Sphere
A Dyson Sphere, being a sphere, is a uniform "equatorial" climate across the entire surface. I consider this to be a major problem.
Somewhere between the Dyson Sphere and the Dyson Hyperboloid is an ...
2
votes
1answer
187 views
Climatology of a supermassive Dyson sphere?
Note: There is a related question about illuminating such a sphere that inspired this question. I'm going much farther, though, this is not a dupe.
The Dyson sphere will be the central mass of the ...
