‘Dyson spheres’ were theorized as a way to detect alien life. Scientists say they’ve found potential evidence

Researchers have been using data from two active space telescopes, NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) and the European Space Agency's Gaia, along with an older infrared survey called The Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS), to study potential signs of advanced alien civilizations. This collaboration, which includes the University of Massachusetts and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, focused on finding stars that could be surrounded by Dyson spheres, theoretical megastructures that harness a star’s energy.

The candidate stars, identified in a recent study, are all red dwarfs, the most common type of star in our galaxy. Red dwarfs are dimmer and smaller than our sun, making it challenging to observe planets around them. However, many known exoplanets orbit red dwarfs, which increases the likelihood that these stars might have habitable planets. Despite this, the study has yet to confirm the presence of planets around these stars.

An earlier study from March, using the same data sources, found infrared anomalies among a sample of 5 million stars. The recent study, published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society on May 6, 2024, identified seven stars with unexplained infrared glow, which could potentially indicate Dyson spheres. However, lead author Matías Suazo from Uppsala University emphasizes that there's no conclusive evidence yet.

Natural explanations for the infrared glow include background galaxies aligning with the stars, debris from planetary collisions, or young stars still surrounded by hot debris disks. The concept of Dyson spheres dates back to the 1960s, proposed by physicist Freeman Dyson, who suggested that advanced civilizations might build such structures. Dyson spheres would emit detectable waste heat as infrared radiation, making them a target for searches by institutions like the SETI Institute and Fermilab.

Dyson spheres, popularized in science fiction, are envisioned as a solution to the energy needs of advanced civilizations. Dyson proposed that any intelligent species would eventually construct an artificial biosphere around their star. This concept was inspired by Olaf Stapledon's 1937 novel Star Maker. Although the idea remains theoretical, Dyson believed that searching for waste heat from these structures could reveal new types of astronomical objects or even signs of extraterrestrial intelligence.

To explore these intriguing findings in more detail, you can visit Royal Astronomical Society.