Artist’s impression of a sphere of Dyson.
Alien megaestructures can self-destruct before we can detect them, suggests new study.
Although it is highly likely that it exists somewhere in the universe, (yet) we do not know whether or not there is extraterrestrial life, and a new investigation brings us a theory that explains why.
The search for alien signals focuses on technosumnalswhich consist of observable evidence of extraterrestrial technology. In this insatiable scientific pursuit, they have been the objects that most intrigue astronomers.
These huge hypothetical swarms of satellites, designed to enjoy the energy of a star, have been in the mouths of astronomers since the 1960s, when the physicist Freeman Dyson He proposed that these megaestructures that a possible technologically advanced civilization could be taking advantage of all the energy produced by its star, out of necessity, rather than being dependent on the surface energy of your planet.
To this day, 60 years later, no concrete evidence has been found of the existence of such constructions. But the new investigation of Oxford University Breakthrough Listen initiative may explain why.
The calculations of the team Brian Lacki point to Dyson’s spheres, especially those composed of vast satellite swarms, unstable and prone to self -destruction.
This is because there is a high probability of collisions Among the orbit components, which could trigger a chain reaction similar to the dreaded orbit of the earth – a predicted spatial waste catastrophe where the debris shock with satellites, creating a “snowball” of more and more detriment.
According to the study published on April 29, it would be a matter of hours or a few days until randomly orbit satellites around a star were destroyed.
Even more organized swarms, with fewer satellites or placed in orbits that do not intersect, would remain stable only for a few million years – a short period of a cosmic perspective that dramatically reduces our assumptions of observing such alien structures.
Avoiding self -destruction of these satellites would imply active swarm management, which is not properly impossible, points out. This management would involve advanced tracking systems or the use of star radiation pressure to guide solar candle -equipped satellites, similar to sailboats sailing with the wind.
