Dyson Spheres
Dyson spheres are hypothetical megastructures that partially or completely encompass a star. They are designed to harness the star’s solar power and provide vast amounts of energy to any space-faring civilization capable of constructing them. Fictional Dyson spheres may be used to meet or exceed the energy requirements of a fictional space-faring civilization. Dyson spheres are home to engineers, space adventurers, and saboteurs.
| Synonyms: Dyson shells, Dyson rings, Dyson bubbles |
| Example Mythonyms: Starhearth |
Designing Fictional Dyson Spheres
Overview
Dyson spheres may completely surround a star (a Dyson shell), may exist as a ring (a Dyson ring), or may be composed of a network of individual satellites arranged like a bubble (a Dyson bubble).
When including Dyson spheres in your worldbuilding consider who built them, for what purpose is the star’s energy being harvested, and where the material to construct such a megastructure originated.
Construction of a Dyson sphere would require advanced engineering capability and the ability to engage in large construction projects in space. The material for a project of this scale is vast, and would need to be harvested from nearby planets or off-world mines. Narratively, the purpose behind the construction of a Dyson sphere can provide any number of possibilities. The energy provided could power a vast spacefaring civilization, or a devastating intergalactic weapon.
Dyson spheres take their name from mathematician and physicist, Freeman Dyson, who was inspired by earlier science fiction worlds.
Scientific Context
A complete shell around a star would disrupt the star’s heliosphere and potentially be subject to increased asteroid and comet strikes that would have otherwise been deflected by the star’s bow shock.
Bow Shock: A shockwave that occurs at the boundary between the magnetosphere of a celestial body and plasma such as the solar wind.