Are we alone? This is one of the oldest questions that humanity is faced with and one of the most intriguing. Nobody knows how large the universe actually is, and the notion that we may be alone in its vast expanses is enough to raise a number of theories.

One of these points to the existence of what many call a Dyson Sphere. Named after Freeman Dyson, the quantum physicist that created the idea, the Dyson sphere is a unique way to prove the existence of extraterrestrial beings. 

A Dyson Sphere is a huge megastructure built around a star. If we built one in our solar system, it would roughly extend to the orbit of Venus around the Sun.  By building this structure around a star, the civilization can harness all the power they need. This would provide a simple way to live in space all while using a renewable source for energy.

Through an engineering lens, though, this idea seems next to impossible. The “sphere” couldn’t possible be an actually fully closed off shape. Because of its orbit around the star, it would be easily torn apart. The closer something is to a central object, the faster it rotates.

This is why a year on Mercury is shorter than a year on Earth. The same idea can be applied to Saturn’s rings. Scientists used to believe that the rings were all one disk that surrounded the planet. But because of Kepler’s 2nd law of planetary motion, we know that the closer something is to a central object (in this case a planet), the faster it will orbit. This makes it impossible for Saturn’s rings to be one solid object and impossible for a solid Dyson sphere to exist. The sphere would be torn apart by the gravitational force of the sun. Instead, it would have to be made up of many platforms in which a civilization could live and survive upon.

However, nobody has ever observed a Dyson Sphere. In order to find one, we would need to see large fluctuation in a star’s light. These changing levels would be created by the platforms that the civilization would live upon.

The closest that scientists have come to finding possible evidence are the large light fluctuations on a faraway star nicknamed “Tabby’s Star”. However, other than that, there is nothing else that can lead us to the conclusion of at the presence of a Dyson Sphere, so for now, it will remain a theory.

These impressive structures could one day signal the existence of another civilization, and through this revelation, we would know that we are truly not alone. But until then, all we can do, is look up at the stars and wonder.

Resources

POPULAR MECHANICS, SPACE.COM, NASA