5 ms·

So instead of seing a hot "small" spot (the star), we'd see a warm (a bit above absolute zero) but very large sphere?

• javcasas 2y ago
  Well, seeing it may be an exaggeration. It would be barely less black than the space around it. Though it may shadow other stars and distant objects.
  • quadragenarian 2y ago
    Isn't the point (and I could be wrong) with a Dyson sphere that it should have a spectrum that approaches that of a perfect blackbody radiator? Or would any radiation that sneaks past the swarm drown out the blackbody spectrum?
    • javcasas 2y ago
      > Isn't the point (and I could be wrong) with a Dyson sphere that it should have a spectrum that approaches that of a perfect blackbody radiator? Pretty much. The lower the temperature of that blackbody radiator, the higher energy you can extract via temperature difference. Until you reach the background radiation of the universe, which could be considered the lowest possible temperature of a thing that still extracts energy. > Or would any radiation that sneaks past the swarm drown out the blackbody spectrum? If that's the case, you can improve your sphere and capture that extra energy.