DYSON SPHERE — Energy Capture Simulator

TriPod Systems // Real Physics // Zero Gap Drives

Dyson Swarm — Orbital View

Collectors: 10,000 Orbit: 1.00 AU Capture: 0.26% Output: 1.00e+24 W

Structure Type

Dyson Swarm: Thousands to trillions of independent solar collectors in orbit. Most physically realistic. Each satellite is a solar panel array or mirror. No rigid structure needed. Can be built incrementally.

Star Parameters

Star Mass (M☉)1.00

Star Luminosity (L☉)1.00

Sphere Parameters

Orbital Radius (AU)1.00

Coverage (%)0.26

Panel Efficiency (%)35

Shell Thickness (m)0.01

Calculated Output

Star Luminosity3.846e+26 W

Sphere Surface Area2.81e+23 m²

Collector Area7.31e+20 m²

Intercepted Power1.00e+24 W

Electrical Output3.50e+23 W

Waste Heat6.50e+23 W

Equilibrium Temp (K)394 K

Orbital Period365.25 days

Orbital Velocity29.78 km/s

Shell/Collector Mass—

Material (vs Mercury)—

Build Time @ 1 TW—

Earth Power Equiv—

Kardashev Scale

I II III

1.74e+17 W K = 0.73 3.85e+26 W

Kardashev Scale: K = (log₁₀(P) − 6) / 10 where P is power in watts.
Type I = 1.74×10¹⁷ W (planet's star input).
Type II = 3.85×10²⁶ W (full star output).
Earth 2024 ≈ 1.8×10¹³ W → K ≈ 0.73.

Engineering Constraints

Structural: A rigid shell at 1 AU would experience no net gravitational force (shell theorem) but is unstable — any perturbation drifts it into the star. Requires active stationkeeping or is replaced by a swarm. Material stress at 1 AU exceeds any known material's tensile strength for a rigid shell.

Thermal: Collectors absorb solar radiation and must re-radiate waste heat from the outer surface. Equilibrium temperature depends on albedo and emissivity. Inner surface sees ~1361 W/m² at 1 AU (solar constant).

Material: Full shell at 1 AU requires mass roughly equivalent to disassembling Mercury. A swarm at 0.26% coverage uses ~10¹⁹ kg — feasible from asteroid mining.