A Dyson sphere, not to be confused with a Dyson vacuum ball, (which is actually cooler than I originally thought) is a theoretical mega-structure in outer-space that often consists of encompassing a star within a sphere that is lined with photovoltaic panels on the inside. How might this be accomplished? Mechanically impossible, as stated by Freeman Dyson himself. But the thought that he really wanted to convey was bunches and bunches of satellites independently orbiting around a star and harvesting its photonic energy. To build something like this is not as absurd as it might sound, it'd just be kind of hard to coordinate all the satellites and to make sure that the electronics required to run a satellite are well protected from radiation. Cool to think about.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Not a Vacuum Cleaner
A Dyson sphere, not to be confused with a Dyson vacuum ball, (which is actually cooler than I originally thought) is a theoretical mega-structure in outer-space that often consists of encompassing a star within a sphere that is lined with photovoltaic panels on the inside. How might this be accomplished? Mechanically impossible, as stated by Freeman Dyson himself. But the thought that he really wanted to convey was bunches and bunches of satellites independently orbiting around a star and harvesting its photonic energy. To build something like this is not as absurd as it might sound, it'd just be kind of hard to coordinate all the satellites and to make sure that the electronics required to run a satellite are well protected from radiation. Cool to think about.
Labels:
Dyson,
photons,
satellite,
solar panels
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