Dyson Spheres: How Advanced Alien Civilizations Would Conquer the Galaxy (Infographic)

Dyson Spheres could provide power for advanced alien civilizations.
By surrounding their star with swarms of energy-collecting satellites, advanced civilizations could create Dyson spheres. (Image credit: by Karl Tate, Infographics Artist)

Ancient extraterrestrial civilizations, millions of years older than humanity, would need enormous amounts of energy. By creating a swarm of satellites in a spherical shell, they could harness much of the power of their star.

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Karl Tate
Space.com contributor

Karl's association with Space.com goes back to 2000, when he was hired to produce interactive Flash graphics. From 2010 to 2016, Karl worked as an infographics specialist across all editorial properties of Purch (formerly known as TechMediaNetwork).  Before joining Space.com, Karl spent 11 years at the New York headquarters of The Associated Press, creating news graphics for use around the world in newspapers and on the web.  He has a degree in graphic design from Louisiana State University and now works as a freelance graphic designer in New York City.