3 ms·
To me, the most interesting fact about Wolf 359 is its low surface temperature. Wikipedia shows its surface temperature as 2800 Kelvin. Tungsten melts at 3700
by FiatLuxDave 7y ago
To me, the most interesting fact about Wolf 359 is its low surface temperature. Wikipedia shows its surface temperature as 2800 Kelvin. Tungsten melts at 3700 K, and graphite sublimates above 4000 K. What this means is that you could make solid objects which could be in direct contact with the star and remain intact despite the temperature.
Because Wolf 359 has a surface gravity of about 320 g's, if you made a buoyant object (like a balloon), it would have a very strong restoring force. The photosphere has a very low density, so this would be basically a vacuum balloon. A vacuum balloon is much easier to make in a near vacuum than in a thick atmosphere like Earth's. If it were large enough and floated high enough, you would have the heat of the star on one side and the cold of space on the other - a perfect location for a heat engine.
I started writing a sci-fi novel a few years ago, where the conversion of Wolf 359 into an energy source powering a future human civilization was a major plot point. I chose Wolf 359 as the red dwarf because it is relatively close to Earth and has a relatively low temperature. Unfortunately, I got stuck on the dialogue for the love story plot, so I've never finished it.
- cobbzilla 7y agoLove the idea, but it’s a flare star, so make sure you plan for the occasional flare. Maybe that means a backup heat engine in standby mode. Or if you can predict the flare, temporarily migrate out to a further orbit. And I’d love to read your story, try to get unstuck :)
- goalieca 7y agoSome of my favourite sci-fi novels don’t have a love story at all. Who needs one?
- kalium_xyz 7y agoSounds awesome. If you need people to read for feedback, hit me up.
- cdelsolar 7y ago320 g's? Wikipedia says 5.5 cgs which is 0.055 m/s^2 - much lower than Earth's.. I think.
- loa_in_ 7y agoThat wouldn't hold any hot matter in place. It's in log g scale, which apparently is log_10 of acceleration at equator but in cm/s². Earth gravity is about 3 log g units, while this stars 5.5 gives two decimal places (and half) more. Wolf 359 has between 100 and 1000 times stronger surface gravity than Earth.
- heeen2 7y agoI thought heat engines in space are nontrivial because it is hard to radiate off enough heat ti actually have a usable differential
- rkagerer 7y agoKeep writing! Rough and messy is fine, you can come back and clean it up later.