Dyson Bubbles Stellar Engines Stability Study

Scientists Say Star-Powered Megastructures Could Be Stable, Challenging Science Fiction Assumptions

Artificial Structures Designed to Extract Energy from Stars Could Remain Stable

New scientific modelling suggests that vast artificial structures designed to extract energy from stars are not merely science fiction. A study led by Colin McInnes at the University of Glasgow and published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, finds that advanced constructs such as stellar engines and Dyson bubbles could remain gravitationally balanced, provided appropriate engineering safeguards are in place, allowing them to draw power directly from their host stars.

Related space science coverage:

• Astronomy, physics and cosmic research

Why Astronomers Imagine Mega-Structures Around Stars

For decades, scientists have debated whether highly advanced alien civilizations might exist elsewhere in the universe. While these ideas remain speculative, many studies point towards a shared solution for extreme energy demands: the construction of massive structures positioned around stars to capture their output.

Such megastructures, if possible would supply energy levels dwarfing anything available on a planetary surface, opening the door to projects such as:

• Large-scale planetary engineering
• Interstellar travel conducted across multiple lifetimes

Contextual reading:

• Long-term planetary and cosmic systems

Stellar Engines and Dyson Bubbles Explained

The Stellar Engine Concept

Among the concepts proposed is the stellar engine, an enormous reflective disk bound by gravity to its parent star. By exploiting the force of emitted light, the structure could generate thrust, potentially steering the entire star system through space like a vast, self-contained spacecraft.

Advanced theoretical science:

• Breakthroughs in astrophysical modelling

Dyson Bubbles as Energy Collectors

In another proposed design, Dyson bubbles take the form of static clouds of small reflective elements arranged around a star, allowing large amounts of its emitted energy to be gathered.

Related cosmic systems insight:

• Energy balance in natural and artificial systems

The Long-Term Stability Problem

Despite decades of theoretical exploration, one central challenge remains unresolved: could structures of such extraordinary scale endure across cosmic timescales without the need for constant active control?

"Aspects of ultra-large artificial constructions, including stellar engines and Dyson bubbles surrounding stars, have featured in SETI research for many years," McInnes notes. "My focus has been to apply mathematical modelling to understand their behaviour, particularly how these systems might be designed to remain passively stable."

New Models Reveal How Stability Might Be Achieved

In his research, McInnes introduced simplified models that represent these megastructures as extended bodies rather than single point masses, enabling a more accurate calculation of gravitational effects and radiation pressure.

Mass Distribution Is Key for Stellar Engines

For stellar engines, the findings suggest that stability depends critically on how mass is arranged:

• A uniformly weighted disk, comparable to a flat plate, proves inherently unstable
• Concentrating most of the mass in an outer ring — resembling a tambourine  — could allow the structure to achieve passive stability

Structural balance and system design:

• Complex systems and stability science

How Dyson Bubbles Could Self-Organize

When examining Dyson bubbles, McInnes analyzed scenarios in which enormous numbers of lightweight reflectors are dispersed within a dense stellar cloud. His model suggests that if:

• The swarm is thick enough to significantly reduce the star's light
• Yet not so heavy that its own gravity dominates

...the reflectors can naturally reorganize into stable arrangements.

"This form of passive stability is arguably far more practical than active control for structures designed to last over extremely long timescales," he says. "It allows individual elements within the cloud to oscillate naturally, rather than collapsing into the star or drifting away from it."

Natural self-organization examples:

• Patterns and behaviour in complex environments

What This Means for the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence

By deepening our theoretical understanding of how such megastructures could be engineered, McInnes believes his models may enable astronomers to better predict what advanced civilizations might leave behind in distant star systems, helping to sharpen future searches for their technological signatures.

Source

SETI and cosmic life research:

• Signs of intelligence beyond Earth