| Main Page | Origin | Uses | Construction | Bibliography |
Because of the structural issues with a true dyson sphere, it obviously is not a viable reality. However, Dyson imagined a much better solution, a dyson swarm, or cloud. Rather than being a solid object subject to stresses of stretching and flexing, a dyson swarm would be comprised of an enormous network of individual satelites either collecting radiation from the sun, or reflecting it towards collectors on space stations, or wherever else it was needed.
Also suggested is a single ring around the star rather than a full sphere, however it would face many of the same problems faced by a full sphere, and no materials we have could be used to construct it. It's most famous example is in the 1970 novel Ringworld by Larry Niven.