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A
shell built around a star to collect as much energy
as possible, originally proposed by Freeman Dyson (although he admits to have
borrowed the concept from Olaf Stapledon's novel Star Maker (1937)). In the
original proposal the shell consists of many independent solar collectors and
habitats in separate orbits (also known as a Type I Dyson Sphere), but later
people have discussed rigid shells consisting of only one piece (called a
Type II Dyson Sphere). The latter construction is unfortunately both unstable (since it will experience no net
attraction of the star), requires super-strong materials and have no internal
gravity. The Dyson Sphere is a classic example of mega-technology and common in Science Fiction. See also The Dyson Sphere FAQ. [AS]
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