Above: One doesn't need a complete Dyson Sphere to collect Dyson-level solar energy. In the above, a Dyson Swarm would work just fine (and it has a nice Utility Fog-ish thing going on). From wikipedia.
The most recent issue of Free Astronomy Magazine (September-October 2024) is available for your reading and downloading pleasure in English, Italian, Spanish, French, and Arabic at www.astropublishing.com (and facebook).
"We're reporting on Webb, Webb, Webb, Webb, Hubble, and Webb."
"Hubble is off!"
"Then we'll report on Webb, Webb, Webb, Webb, Webb, and Webb."
A poor take on a Monty Python skit
I would have found a way to pay for the JWST cost overruns myself at this point. Speaking of costs (free magazine or not), I note that the number of events (and advertisers) have nudged upward as of late, with notable events including:
- 8th Heidelberg International Sympos. on High-Energy Gamma-Ray Astronomy
- 75th International Astronomical Conference (Milan)
- Earth Night – Lights Off! (Global)
- Great Basin Astronomy Festival (AZ)
The original article for this issue is a deep-dive into the findings, and possible relevance, of the work published in the article “Dyson sphere candidates from Gaia DR3, 2MASS, and WISE.” A notable remark by our fearless leader Michele lies in the sentence:
"Today, we know that the growing efficiency of technologies, the miniaturization of components, and the development of nanotechnologies allow for increasing energy savings."
www.astropublishing.com/5FAM2024/
When considering with the amount of accessible solar energy we currently do NOT use…
"A total of 173,000 terawatts (trillions of watts) of solar energy strikes the Earth continuously. That’s more than 10,000 times the world’s total energy use."
phys.org/news/2011-10-vast-amounts-solar-energy-earth.html
It's quite an exercise to think of what a civilization might be trying to accomplish by harnessing the entirety of a star's output that hitherto unknown physics might not somehow make easier.
Browser-readable version (and PDF download): www.astropublishing.com/5FAM2024/
