The Kardashev Scale: What Alien Civilizations Might Look Like

Ever since the day one started to raise his head and imagine what the lights he saw in the sky were, he had a strong feeling that he was not alone where he lived. We see this in stories, myths, wall paintings, inscriptions told thousands of years ago.

With the advances in science in the last century and the way we look at the universe, the idea that ‘we cannot be alone in this huge universe’ has become quite strong. Because we started to understand the size of the universe better. When this is the case, ‘what if there are civilizations like us or more developed somewhere?’ We started to ask. To answer this question, we had to define the boundaries of the concept of ‘advanced civilization’. The Kardashev Scale brought exactly this definition. Let’s take a look at what the Kardashev Scale means and its possible scenarios for advanced civilizations.

First of all, what is the Kardashev Scale?

Kardashev Scale is a system that was first developed by Soviet astronomer Nikolay Kardashev in 1964 and defines civilizations that can exist in the universe according to the amount of energy they produce and use. The logic on which it is based, in its simplest form, is as follows; As a civilization develops, it will need more energy and more space. As such, it will constantly expand and seek new energy sources for itself.

According to this system, civilizations in the universe are examined in three categories. Type 1 – Planetary Civilizations, Type 2 – Stellar Civilizations and Type 3 – Galactic Civilizations. These three types of civilizations differ in how widely they can control and use the energy resources around them.

Overview of possible civilization scenarios in the universe

Type 1 – Planetary Civilizations

Planetary Civilizations, referred to as Type 1 according to the Kardashev Scale, can control and use all energy sources on the planet. Kardashev, in his 1964 article, defined these civilizations as ‘close to Earth in terms of technology’.

According to this definition, we are not even a Type 1 civilization yet, and we need to increase our current energy production amount by almost 100 thousand times in order to become one. So we still have a long way to go. But still, if we have to roughly imagine it, it has many of the technologies that we dream of in the future for the level of human development; we can imagine a more advanced species than ourselves. Also, of course, this species must not have brought the planet it lives on to the point of extinction… It is expected that humanity will reach this level in the next 100-200 years.

Type 1 civilizations, or civilizations that are not yet Type 1 like us, but advancing on that path can also be found in the Milky Way Galaxy. However, Type 1 civilizations are almost invisible in the universe and their sphere of influence is limited to their own planet. So if they exist somewhere, it seems pretty hard to find them under current conditions.

Type 2 – Stellar Civilizations

It’s time for the Stellar Civilizations, which we will refer to as Type 2. The definition made by Kardashev for Type 2 civilizations is a civilization that can ‘use all the energy of its star’. If we think about Type 1 again; once a species has learned to use all the energy resources on its planet, and possibly to the point of exhaustion; next to it and the biggest energy source; the star of his own system may come. Also, as a civilization develops, it will need more energy as well as want to ‘spread’ more. So it is quite possible that a civilization has chosen such a path of development.

In doing so, Type 2 civilizations may choose to build a structure similar to the ‘Dyson sphere’, which was also introduced by the theoretical physicist Freeman Dyson in the 60s. This example is also given by Kardashev in his own article, but this is just an example for us to grasp what Type 2 civilizations can do. A highly developed civilization, Type 2 may well have found another way to use the energy of its sun with the highest possible efficiency.

So what is a Dyson sphere? The Dyson sphere is a ‘project’ presented by theoretical physicist Freeman Dyson that offers a solution to one of the most likely scenarios in which a civilization may advance through space. Accordingly, if an intelligent civilization is now highly developed, the next step will be to expand to more places and obtain more energy. To do this, he will want to capture all the energy he can get from the central star. It will then develop specialized platforms that orbit the central star and are placed quite frequently. Thus, it will have obtained an endless source of energy and its growth will accelerate.

It is thought that the Type 2 civilization defined by Kardashev should have reached the level of being able to carry out such a project ‘if possible’. Thus, the Type 2 civilization will have taken control of its entire star system.

So for Type 2, humanity will move from Mars to Uranus, from the Moon to the Sun in the future; that it has taken control of all the resources of our own system; Consider that you have completed all the developments required to control this system. That’s what being a Type 2 civilization is all about. If we think about how big budgets and time we are competing with even to send spacecraft to the planets closest to us, we can better understand the level of development of Type 2 civilizations.

Type 3 – Galactic Civilizations

The last civilization type Kardashev described in his article; to become a species that can control all the energy sources of its own galaxy. It is quite difficult for us to try to perceive this kind of development. Because let alone controlling and exploiting its energy; Even our knowledge of our own galaxy, the Milky Way, is quite limited.

But imagine that a civilization has already taken control of its Solar System with very advanced technologies and the point it has reached in science; He has unlimited energy. Traveling between different star systems may have become much simpler for such a civilization. For example, it could have turned into something like traveling between Earth and Pluto. So although it takes a lot of time and resources, it is not impossible.

Thus, this advanced Type 2 civilization will visit different star systems on its way to become more advanced, colonize and eventually control all the systems in its own galaxy and use its energy and resources in order to become Type 3.

It’s hard to even imagine the technologies possessed by such a civilization. Because, finally, the one who can travel between stars and do it ‘easy’; We’re talking about a species that dominates the entire galaxy. Maybe they have solved the mysteries of dark matter, and they may be acting by different laws of physics than we know. They may also have found a way to move faster than light.

Now that we’ve taken a look at the intelligent alien civilization ‘types’ described by Kardashev, let’s talk a little bit about the probability of encountering civilizations of any kind.

If any of the Type 1, Type 2 and Type 3 civilizations exist, how come we haven’t met yet?

As we mentioned when talking about Type 1 civilizations; As humanity, we are not even a Type 1 civilization yet. Moreover, considering the course of both humanity and the planet, this will not be easy. In other words, although humanity is an ‘intelligent’ species trying to introduce itself to the universe by sending radio signals hundreds of light years away, when we look back from the universe, we are literally an ‘invisible’ species.

Moreover, in many corners of the universe, ‘civilization’ has not even reached the level we have reached yet; There may be many species that align with us or have just succeeded in becoming a Type 1. But what we just said for humanity is also valid for them. In other words, with such a level of sophistication, they are kind of invisible.

Even if we explain this scientifically, as you know, as humanity, we send radio signals to distances that we can’t even imagine, up to 200 light years. But even this amount is not a very large distance if we consider the gigantic dimensions of our galaxy, 100 thousand light-years wide. Also, unfortunately, most of the signals we transmit 200 light-years away are just a squeak after traveling a little. These ‘scratches’ become too meaningless to indicate an intelligent life form. This makes it very difficult for us and possible ‘intelligent’ civilizations like us to be discovered, even within their own galaxy.

How can we explain this situation for Type 2? If we were to follow a similar logic here, too; We know that type 2 civilizations must have come to fully dominate their solar system. The majority of the star systems that we can call ‘close’ to our planet consist of young stars and red giants that are not suitable for life.

We have so far received no indication from those who are close enough that we can ‘communicate’, that is, send signals and receive signals from them in at least a few years/decades. So either we are alone in this galaxy or we have not found each other because all existing civilizations are at least as ‘impaired’ as we are. Another option is that even if there is a message sent from a distance, say 200 light-years away, that set off yesterday, it will take 200 years to reach us. In other words, time stands as a big obstacle in front of us.

When we come to Type 3, we are now talking about an overdeveloped species that ‘dominates its galaxy’. Even if there is such a civilization, we know that it must be in a different galaxy. In addition, we can be no different than an ant swarm that builds its own colony for this species, which exists with very advanced technologies, who knows what kind of technologies and laws of physics that we can’t even come close to understanding…

One more question: It’s more advanced than Type 3. Couldn’t there be civilizations?

After Kardashev’s article published in 1964, various ideas came from many scientists to expand this scale. Some scientists say there may be two more types of civilizations, which we might call Type 4 and Type 5. It is stated that these two types of civilizations may be controlling galaxy and super galaxy clusters. However, as you can imagine, we do not have any signs or greetings from distant lands yet for either of these two types.

The most extreme idea on this subject is the existence of a ‘Type Omega’ civilization. Imagine a civilization that controls the entire universe, even universes, uses its energy, develops and continues to grow. What kind of conditions would be required for the development of such a civilization, what kind of biological and physical existence does this imaginary civilization have; We will never know what kind of physical laws apply in the ‘upper universe’ they live in.

If we look at it from a completely different perspective, those who do not define being an ‘advanced civilization’ as we do; that is, there may even be ‘advanced’ species with a completely different perspective instead of energy production-consumption and ‘advanced technology’… This means that finding them will be more difficult than anything else.

We talked about the Kardashev Scale and what possible alien civilizations can and cannot do. Do you think there is a civilization out there on any level that we haven’t met yet? Do you think we will meet anyone in the near future, if any? Don’t forget to share your answers and your questions about it with us!