When it comes to the infinite darkness of the cosmos, some of humanity’s most ambitious questions have often begun with a simple premise: what if we are not alone? But although this is a compelling question, scientists have also pondered another: if an advanced civilization does exist, how would we even know? Not all intelligent life, after all, may choose to speak.
This is where the Dyson sphere comes in, which is a concept within science and engineering that is the cornerstone of the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI). The concept describes a colossal structure that aliens would potentially construct around a star in order to harness its power, and humans can search for these structures in the hopes of finding alien life.
Where did the idea for such a megastructure come from? And is it truly possible for such a thing to be created? Click through this gallery to find out.