Occulting Telescope
Type II Kardashev civilizations eventually completely enclose their planetary system in a Dyson sphere because space is way too big to look at all the time.
Type II Kardashev civilizations eventually completely enclose their planetary system in a Dyson sphere because space is way too big to look at all the time.
Cueball takes the useful practice of occulting stars beyond its intended purpose. Occulting is used in astronomy to block the light from a star under observation so that adjacent dim objects, such as any surrounding extrasolar planets, might be more easily detected and examined. This refers to a proposed starshade mission, envisioned for space telescopes like the James Webb Space Telescope, in which a large occulter would fly in formation with that telescope.
Instead of blocking the light of a single star for the purposes of observation, Cueball proposes blocking the light from all stars, for the purpose of making him feel comfortable with the night sky. Cueball feels, some might say irrationally, that "there are too many stars", and "it's been freaking me out". This may be a reference to Isaac Asimov's "Nightfall" which explores in depth the psychological implications by which stars make some people feel small and insignificant because they demonstrate just how vast is the universe.
The title text refers to both a Type II Kardashev civilization and a Dyson sphere.
A Dyson sphere is a theoretical construction consisting of a network of satellites that orbit and completely surround a star. The purpose of a Dyson Sphere is to capture and transmit all of the available solar energy in the star back to a planet.
A Type II Kardashev civilization is a theoretical civilization that has advanced to the point where it has harnessed all the energy radiated by its own star (for example, the stage of successful construction of a Dyson sphere).
For comparison purposes:
- A Type I Kardashev civilization is one that has harnessed the energy of their entire planet.
- A Type III Kardashev civilization is one that has harnessed the energy of their entire galaxy.
- We are currently less than I.
The title text reveals that Type II Kardashev civilizations construct Dyson spheres not for the purposes of capturing all solar energy, but merely to block the view of all that hideous space. This may allude to Douglas Adam's Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy novel series, where a planet called Krikkit is completely obscured by a dust layer. Upon building a spacecraft to explore what lies behind that dust cover, they decide to destroy all living beings in the rest of the universe. See http://hitchhikers.wikia.com/wiki/Krikkit.
The concept of an occulting space telescope was visited again in 1730: Starshade, and the idea of the vastness of space being frightening was revisited in 2596: Galaxies.