Got my Dyson Sphere pin in. If you know, you know.
So cool!
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The lecture starts for âHow to Build a Dyson Sphere,â and one guy in the audience raises his hand.
âWouldnât the technique for how to procure enough raw materials in order build a Dyson Sphere be a prerequisite? I didnât see it in the syllabus.â
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First exposure for me: RINGWORLD
Most recent: MATTER by Iain M. Banks (RIP)
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Larry Niven â Ringworld Engineers
Fascinating concept. Far more tenable than a full Dysonâs sphere.
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Yeah⌠Niven did good using SF license to create âScritâ - the fictitious base metal that could handle the stresses of a rotating multi-million mile long ring in space. Banks simplified the premise by not having a ring spin around a sun, instead having smaller âorbitalsâ placed in a planetary orbit. Loved both authors!
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Interesting as is might be, I have to dismiss the whole Dyson Sphere concept as ridiculous, and I venture to say that Dyson likes his hallucinogens- he be tripping. Even a Type I civilization is untenable, much less the harnessing of a starâs full power. âRaw materialsâ are just not available. How close to a star could a civilization build? Canât get too close, the builders would die and the structure would fry. Build the sphere with a radius out in the habitable zone? Sure, but even a sphere that size that is as thick as heavy duty aluminum foil would have a mass of 37.582 Quintillion pounds. Yeah- thats two Phobi and one Deimos combine (if they were 100% Aluminum). Doesnât seem like a lot? that sphere is only .08 inches thick. How thick and sturdy must a sphere be to have a radius of 95 million miles and not collapse the first time the Sun has a hiccup? Maybe an engineer can calculate that. Hereâs to tripping cosmologists⌠cheers.
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I just view it as an exercise of an enormous hypothetical premise. Not only would it never be possible, it just doesnât make any logical sense. A far more practical premise would be an artificial moon.
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Iâve only heard the concept referenced in Star Trek: TNG.
I had no idea anyone I view as âcontemporariesâ would have ANY idea regarding the conceptâŚ
When I saw that episode, âRelics,â I couldnât believe what I was seeing. The fabled Dyson sphere, realized as a real thing in Star Trek The Next Generation?
It was cool to see it, but also a letdown. Because if some highly advanced space faring species was capable enough to build one, certainly theyâd cover all of the contingencies. Theyâd probably have special techniques for âstar maintenance.â Thereâs no way it would become a hazard. And for all of the raw material to build it? I imagined them tapping into another dimension saturated with matter, where theyâd simultaneously gate in and convert the matter into the specific elements and materials needed for construction.
They never really thought the scale through very well. Given the size? The population supported would probably exceed all known species in the Federation. If they started out with only 1/1,000 occupied, it would take so long to build up the population. Probably automated farming, food production, and item generation. So, assuming they faced an unforeseen change in the star that began to produce too much radiation, what about evacuation? The massive exodus would be unprecedented. I donât see how this could stay hidden from other intelligent species. Word would get around.
In any case, the vastness of pioneered technology would probably be overwhelming, even for the Federation. Tremendous amounts to learn and adopt. Unfortunately, Star Trek TNG did this so oftenâopen up a sensational find, then never revisit it later in the series. For instance, the Cytherians with their ingenious space warping technology. Lt. Barclay is âmodifiedâ to become a super-enhanced human being with mental powers far beyond normal. So much to consider, yet thereâs never any revisiting of this species.