The Dyson Sphere is one of the hallmarks of looking for intelligent life elsewhere in the universe. Scientists say that if we manage to find one, we can be sure that it's a super-advanced extraterrestrial civilization. 

But what is a Dyson Sphere, really? 

In this article, you will learn about what makes this one of the most insanely complex feats of engineering out there, and why detecting it would prove that advanced extraterrestrial civilizations exist. 

Dyson Sphere 101: Origins 

The concept of a Dyson Sphere comes from the ideas of physicist Freeman Dyson back in 1960, writes Space.com. 

According to him, a Dyson Sphere is a massive artificial construction big enough to fully encircle an entire star. As per Dyson, the sphere is composed of multiple platforms orbiting in a tight formation. 

Theoretically, a Dyson Sphere would be the hallmark of intelligent alien life with the technological and scientific capability required to fully settle multiple worlds. 

Why Build One? 

As per Dyson's original ideas, any extraterrestrial species who have settled multiple moons and planets would always require ever-increasing amounts of energy. 

And for them, the only way to get an almost-inexhaustible energy supply is to fully harness the power of an entire star by covering it in--you guessed it--a Dyson Sphere. 

According to the Kardashev Scale of civilizations, a Type II civilization would be capable of building the sphere to satisfy their energy requirements. 

By comparison, current human civilization is barely classified as Type 0 according to Futurism, since we still can only harness the energy of our own planet via fossil fuels. 

Read also: Extraterrestrial Life May Not Need Oxygen to Live; Thus Claims Hydrogen-Planets to Nurture Life Forms, Says Scientist

Can Humans Build A Dyson Sphere? 

The short answer is no, we can't. And there are so many reasons why it's impossible right now, even with how much human civilization has advanced over thousands of years. 

Understanding humanity's capability to build a Dyson Sphere also depends on what type of sphere we plan to build. There are two main ones: an entire solid artificial shell that fully covers a star, or simply a group of machines that orbit it and harness most of its power. 

Building the solid shell sphere type is obviously the most difficult, as per ZMEScience. Even Dyson himself said it is "mechanically impossible" to build one. 

One of the biggest problems with the shell type is the material. According to Popular Mechanics, the tensile strength required to make sure that the sphere doesn't implode would far eclipse anything that currently exists on Earth. 

The next one, however, is relatively more feasible. Also called a Dyson Swarm, it doesn't require a full shell but merely an army of machines--possibly drones--to orbit a star. 

But while this sounds very doable, it's still far beyond the current technological capabilities of our civilization. Imagine circling the Sun with specially designed drones and making sure that they don't bump into each other all the time. 

Furthermore, just imagine the cost of fully encircling something as big as the Sun--with a radius of over 432,000 miles--with an army of these drones. It would be a financial, logistical, and engineering nightmare. 

But that's the amazing part of it. Even if scientists don't know whether Dyson Spheres exist, proving that they do exist will definitely point to an intelligent extraterrestrial civilization hundreds--or even thousands--of years more advanced than ours. 

Related: Do Aliens Exist? SETI@Home Stops Operations After Two-Decade of Search For Extraterrestrial Life

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Written by RJ Pierce