Astronomers have found evidence of the existence of 7 Dyson spheres, a hypothetical construct to extract energy from stars. Here’s everything we know.
A recent study conducted by researchers at Uppsala University, within the Hephaistos projecthas identified seven stars in the Milky Way that may be associated with a hypothetical extraterrestrial technology known as Dyson sphere. This megastructure, proposed in the 1960s by physicist Freeman Dyson, would consist of a system that surrounds a star to collect its electromagnetic energy, transforming it into energy that can be used by an advanced civilization.
Using artificial intelligence to analyze data from around 320,000 stars, researchers have identified seven objects whose infrared emission is compatible with what would be expected from a Dyson sphere. However, scientists point out that the most likely interpretation remains astrophysical in origin, such as circumstellar dust disks, interactions between binary stars, or rare types of young stars.
What are Dyson spheres
The Hephaistos project, led by Uppsala University, aims to detect signs of extraterrestrial intelligent life by analyzing potential signals from major feats of space engineering, such as Dyson spheres, interstellar propulsion systems and industrial pollution in exoplanet atmospheres. This methodology presents itself as an alternative to traditional programs for the search for intelligent life, such as SETI, which has been searching for extraterrestrial radio signals for over 60 years.
In the analysis, the researchers found seven red dwarfs, stars with a mass equal to 10% that of the Sun, whose infrared radiation emission was higher than expected. The excess infrared emission is a key clue, since the elements of a Dyson sphere, absorbing energy from the parent star, emit heat in the form of infrared radiation.
The Hephaistos project
Despite the discovery of these seven sources, further observations and analyzes are needed to confirm the nature of the emissions. Possible alternative explanations include the presence of circumstellar dust disks, unresolved binary systems, or rare types of young stars. Circumstellar disks, in particular, are composed of material that could form future planets, while binary systems could create excesses of infrared emission due to the interaction of stars.
The Hephaistos project has already produced four scientific articles published in astrophysics journals, demonstrating a systematic and rigorous approach to data analysis. While no definitive signs of Dyson spheres have been found so far, the investigation has helped place upper limits on the number of technologically advanced civilizations in the cosmos.
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