Researchers find evidence of possible alien megastructures
Jun 21, 2024, 3:00 PM | Updated: 6:53 pm
SALT LAKE CITY — The Royal Astronomical Society has published a study claiming they possibly found evidence of alien megastructures.
Researchers said these megastructures could be objects theorized by the late theoretical physicist, Freeman Dyson. Essentially, the megastructures are spheres built around a star to capture all of its energy.
NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory Solar System Ambassador to Utah, Patrick Wiggins said the idea of these so-called Dyson Spheres is “a really neat idea, but…it’s totally impractical” with the technology we have available.
In the 1960s, Dyson proposed that if aliens were to create a sphere around a star, they could harness energy.
What is an alien megastructure?
“A Dyson Sphere is basically, you build a sphere around your solar system. That way it soaks up all of the sun’s energy,” Wiggins said.
“I mean right now it’s all the sun’s energy that we can turn into electricity, its what’s on your rooftop or out in [a] field or something like that. But imagine encircling the entire star and getting all of its energy. That’d be great, but we just don’t have the technology.”
Using infrared satellite images, researchers with the Royal Astronomical Society have found seven distant stars. Thes stars might have Dyson Spheres around them. However, Wiggins said there are more simple explanations for what the researchers saw.
“I suppose it’s that matter of whatever is the simplest solution is probably the correct solution. And in this case, if you have a whole bunch of stuff orbiting a star. You know junk, not put up there by any kind of creatures, but just natural stuff orbiting a star that could give the same readout,” Wiggins said.
Additionally, Wiggins said that it could be star debris or some sort of asteroid field or similar formation.
“When a star is forming planets, there’s usually this big ring around the star of debris, and that debris, slowly over eons… will form in the planets and stuff like that. So maybe that’s what we’re seeing.”
Challenges
The biggest challenge with a Dyson Sphere according to Wiggins is the massive size of the sphere itself.
“This sphere has to be big enough to encompass whatever planets might have creatures on them as well as the star.”
For perspective, he says, “You could put — give or take 1,300,000 Earths inside the sun. So, where are you going to find enough material to be able to build one of these spheres?”
He said there isn’t enough material on Earth.
Proving the existence of a Dyson Sphere would provide proof of intelligent, technologically advanced alien life.
“I don’t want anybody thinking that I think there are no aliens. I mean, I can’t prove it, but just speaking for myself…I think they’re out there,” Wiggins said.
” So, I can’t prove it, but what I’m getting at is if they’re out there, yeah, they could have done that. But there are simpler explanations and until I see more convincing evidence to the contrary. I’m going to stick with the simple explanation.”
Wiggins said he would love to be incorrect.
“I want someone to point at something with real evidence and say this is a Dyson Sphere because…it would prove we’re not alone. I don’t want to be alone,” he said.
“I want to know they’re out there and of course, since this is being broadcast on a very powerful frequency that’s going out in space, ‘Hey aliens if you’re listening, I’ll be your PR person, please come give me a ride’.”
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