Imagining Multiple Ringworlds Around a Star - Is it Possible?

[Chatterton]

Every time I see the sun that hangs over the map of Westeros (https://i.stack.imgur.com/pqf90.jpg) I find myself imaging a system of Niven ring megastructures around a star. I know it's preposterous, but just how preposterous is it?

Also, if it is remotely hypothetically plausible, would the rings have similar perceived gravity (assuming they were all similar in construction)?

 

[phinds]

1) Personally, I'd rate it as preposterous but then I'd rate a single ringworld as preposterous (but perhaps not technically impossible; I'm not sure)
2) They have different diameters but if spun at different speeds they could all have the same perceived gravity

 

[Noisy Rhysling]

How much mass does each ring have? Are they within the gravity well of another ring? IIRC Ringworld had a surface area of 600,000,000,000 square kilometers. Multiple ringworlds would have a multiple of that number. What would we do with all that space? Why would we need all that space?

Pretty picture, and there are things similar your idea on Deviant Art. Might look there for some ideas?

 

[Janus]

Niven wrote an article for Analog in 1974, which was later included in his anthology "A Hole in Space", which was titled "Bigger Than Worlds", in which he discusses a number of different types of mega-structures.

 

[Noisy Rhysling]

Niven wrote an article for Analog in 1974, which was later included in his anthology "A Hole in Space", which was titled "Bigger Than Worlds", in which he discusses a number of different types of mega-structures.

He noted in the preface to Ringworld Engineers that engineering students, at one of the comicons, had been chanting in the halls, "The Ringworld is unstable!"

 

[Chatterton]

Niven wrote an article for Analog in 1974, which was later included in his anthology "A Hole in Space", which was titled "Bigger Than Worlds", in which he discusses a number of different types of mega-structures.

I like the Cosmic Macaroni idea. Maybe the multiple rings are a single continuous band woven into a Celtic knot.

 

[stefan r]

The ring megastructure is quite possible. The difficulty is giving the surface a perceivable gravity.