Dyson sphere
Sun-enclosing megastructure
A Dyson sphere is a hypothetical megastructure that would completely surround a star to capture its energy output.
Named after physicist Freeman Dyson, who theorized that sufficiently advanced civilizations might build such structures to meet their energy needs.
The concept appears frequently in science fiction and discussions of extraterrestrial intelligence: Astronomers have proposed searching for Dyson spheres as evidence of alien civilizations.
Decreasing in brightness
- transitMovement between places
- observatoryFacility for celestial study
- telescopeInstrument magnifying faraway objects
- detectionAct of finding something
anomaly · spectroscopy · extraterrestrial · search · radio signal · biosignature · Fermi paradox
Speculative fiction with technological themes
- theoreticalBased on hypothesis, untested
- thought experimentHypothetical scenario for reasoning
- spacefaringAble to traverse cosmos
- futurismStudy of tomorrow's possibilities
space colonization · interstellar · utopia · hypothetical · galactic empire · far future
Luminous astronomical object
- photonsDiscrete packets of radiance
- sunlightRadiance from our star
- luminosityIntrinsic brightness of source
- power generationProcess of creating electricity
total output · radiation · fusion · gigawatt · renewable · electricity · efficiency
Science of celestial motion
- constructionProcess of building something
- space stationOrbiting crewed research facility
- habitatOrganism's natural environment
- swarmMass of moving insects
shell · ring · infrastructure · materials science · self-sustaining · biosphere · arcology · space elevator
dimming
Decreasing in brightness
- transitMovement between places
- observatoryFacility for celestial study
- telescopeInstrument magnifying faraway objects
detection · anomaly · spectroscopy · extraterrestrial · search · radio signal · biosignature · Fermi paradox
science fiction
Speculative fiction with technological themes
- theoreticalBased on hypothesis, untested
- thought experimentHypothetical scenario for reasoning
- spacefaringAble to traverse cosmos
futurism · space colonization · interstellar · utopia · hypothetical · galactic empire · far future
star
Luminous astronomical object
- photonsDiscrete packets of radiance
- sunlightRadiance from our star
- luminosityIntrinsic brightness of source
power generation · total output · radiation · fusion · gigawatt · renewable · electricity · efficiency
orbital mechanics
Science of celestial motion
- constructionProcess of building something
- space stationOrbiting crewed research facility
- habitatOrganism's natural environment
swarm · shell · ring · infrastructure · materials science · self-sustaining · biosphere · arcology · space elevator · colony
Dyson spheresolar panel
Light-to-power converter
campfire · candle · wood fire · nuclear reactor · hydroelectric dam
Dyson sphereagrarian society
Culture organized around farming