Astronomers Search For Dyson Spheres of Alien Civilizations 686
Hugh Pickens writes "An article by Ross Andersen makes note of Freeman Dyson's prediction in 1960 that every civilization in the Universe eventually runs out of energy on its home planet, a major hurdle in a civilization's evolution. Dyson argued that all those who leap over it do so in precisely the same way: they build a massive collector of starlight, a shell of solar panels to surround their home star. Last month astronomers began a two-year search for Dyson Spheres, a search that will span the Milky Way, along with millions of other galaxies. The search is funded by a sizable grant from the Templeton Foundation, a philanthropic organization that funds research on the 'big questions' that face humanity, questions relating to 'human purpose and ultimate reality.' Compared with SETI, a search for Dyson Spheres assumes that the larger the civilization, the more energy it uses and the more heat it re-radiates. If Dyson Spheres exist, they promise to give off a very particular kind of heat signature, a signature that we should be able to see through our infrared telescopes. 'A Dyson Sphere would appear very bright in the mid-infrared,' says project leader Jason Wright. 'Just like your body, which is invisible in the dark, but shines brightly in mid-infrared goggles.' A civilization that built a Dyson Sphere would have to go to great lengths to avoid detection, building massive radiators that give off heat so cool it would be undetectable, a solution that would involve building a sphere that was a hundred times larger than necessary. 'If a civilization wants to hide, it's certainly possible to hide,' says Wright, 'but it requires massive amounts of deliberate engineering across an entire civilization.'"
Re:what about nuclear fusion? (Score:5, Funny)
where would you get enough matter
Obviously harvested from the home planets of other civilizations they've destroyed. What a silly question.
TFA is educated stupid (Score:5, Funny)
But nothing sucks like an Elecrolux.
XKCD (Score:5, Funny)
Disruptive bluffing (Score:5, Funny)
Quick! Let's build a giant IR emitter w/ some filters to produce the same spectral curve as a Dyson sphere. All those not-quite-advanced societies out there will detect it and run screaming from our perceived galactic-overlordishness.
Dyson Sphere (Score:3, Funny)
I don't understand this nonsense of astronomers searching the galaxy for Dyson Spheres. I had no trouble finding and buying one off Amazon. The design is revolutionary, and it's very powerful. It gets pet hairs out of my carpet with ease. Highly recommended!
Re:Flawed assumptions. (Score:3, Funny)
Indeed. Shakespeare said it first: "there are more things in heaven and earth than exist in your philosophy." Science is just how we're trained to look at reality, It doesn't explain love or spirituality. How does science explain psychics? Auras, the afterlife, the power of prayer?
Re:Runs out of energy? (Score:4, Funny)
Don't worry; we're working on that.
Re:Flawed assumptions. (Score:5, Funny)
How does science explain psychics? Auras, the afterlife, the power of prayer?
Easily. [merriam-webster.com]
Re:Flawed assumptions. (Score:5, Funny)
And don't get me started on Santa Claus. How does he deliver toys to over a billion homes in one night? Science offers no plausible explanation for that.
Relative velocity time dilation has been understood for years. Please leave your geek card at the door on the way out.
Re:Flawed assumptions. (Score:5, Funny)
So? From the viewpoint of someone standing still, he can still not move faster then the speed of light. And any time he drops off a toy, he has to either slow down slowly, or subject the toy itself to extreme g forces. Since toys arrive in a non-squished condition (and they are generally not resistant to high g, as the kids soon discover), then Santa has to slow them down slowly - taking quite a bit of time for every toy dropped off.
Each toy is delivered with the elf who made it.
The elf slows the toy down on descent, places it neatly, and promptly burns itself to death in the fire place. If you don't have a fireplace the elf will flush itself, use the garbage disposal, provoke the dog into eating it, or, failing all of those, walk outside and freeze to death. Most people confuse their bodies for garden gnomes.
Re:Flawed assumptions. (Score:5, Funny)
Most people confuse their bodies for garden gnomes.
the parent has a point, have you actually seen anyone purchase a garden gnome?
Re:Flawed assumptions. (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Flawed assumptions. (Score:5, Funny)