Re: Interesting concultural ideas

Lars Henrik Mathiesen wrote:


> However, the point of a Dyson sphere is not primarily to provide
> livable area, but to catch as much of the energy output of the star as
> possible.

For which you don't need a single physical object: lots and lots of
asteroid-sized objects in random orbits will do the job fine.

> So all this discussion about providing gravity and atmosphere to the
> inside of the sphere is a bit off track, really --- people who can
> make a Dyson sphere also have the technology to live in bubbles on the
> outside, where the star's gravity points the right way and they can
> watch the pretty lights of the universe all the time.

Or for those who think REALLY, REALLY big:  Tear the spiral arms off
some galaxy or other, and build a sphere around the core.  The surface
gravity (on the outside) will be small, but the
gravitational potential will drop off soooo slowly that you should be
able to retain an atmosphere several hundred parsecs deep.  Objects
orbiting the sphere will have periods of revolution in the megayears,
so in practice they will stand still, and you can fly to them using
stork chariots.



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