5.2 Antimatter Star & Proto-Universe Event

Antimatter Star

Or an antimatter nebula. Probably originating from outside our galaxy, it is possible that an entire star could be composed of antimatter. If the entire star and its planets were pure antimatter, it would have a perfectly normal existance unless it came into contact with something composed of “normal” matter. Like the Enterprise. Possibly more insidious would be a gas cloud or nebula composed of anti-hydrogen. Although very thin (like a regular nebula), such a cloud might cause severe erosion of the ship’s hull as it flew through.

Negative Matter

Not the same thing as antimatter. Negative matter would theoretically have the same properties as “normal” matter, except that it would have a gravity field which pushes away rather than attracting. When negative matter and positive matter come into contact, they would theoretically annihilate each other, but with no release of energy. Both particles would simply cease to exist.

Gravity Waves

Some scientists believe that gravity is transmitted through space by means of gravity waves. If this is the case, one might imagine some bizarre phenomena in which two sets of gravity waves somehow intersect, possibly causing strange (and probably dangerous) spatial distortions.

Cepheid Variable Star

An unstable star whose brightness varies considerably over a relatively short period of time (days). These tend to be rather large stars whose surface can trap the star’s internal energy output until it builds up to a point where it erupts in a potentially dangerous burst. A related object is a “flare star” which can increase in brightness for periods as short as minutes.

Proto-Universe Event

A hypothetical occurance in which another Big Bang is occuring in a parallel universe, but somehow intrudes into ours. There would be severe space/time distortions accompanied by the release of a tremendous amount of energy and possibly some “new” matter created by the parallel Big Bang.

Dyson Sphere

Postulated by physicist Freeman Dyson, this would be an incredibly large structure built by some advanced culture. The sphere would completely enclose a star, harnessing the star’s total energy output. A Dyson Sphere would easily be 200 million miles in diameter, dwarfing any other artifical construct we’ve yet seen on Star Trek, and would presumably have been built for some incredible purpose that our writers will devise. This could be detected by infra-red waste heat emissions that would probably leak through the sphere’s surface.

Von Neumann Machine

Postulated by mathematician John Von Neumann, this is a concept of a semi-intelligent machine which is built to (1) find raw material, and (2) make copies of itself. Such devices could conceivably “eat” an entire planetary system, much as a virus can consume a host body. Von Neumann machines could be built for massive terraforming of an uninhabitable world, as homes for colonists, or as a terrible, self-replicating army of destruction.

Rogue Star Cluster

A globular cluster that’s been gravitationally torn apart by passage through the galaxy. Most of it will go harmlessly through the galaxy, a relatively small number of stars could pass close enough to the heart of the Federation to whip a number of entire solar systems out of the galaxy. This could take place over a relatively short number of years, even though we would probably see the approaching cluster from Earth today.

Super-Jovian Planet Ignition

Imagine a gas giant planet, about 75 times the mass of Jupiter. If it should happen to collide with another Trans-Jovian planet (about ten times the mass of Jupiter), it would become heavy enough for gravity to cause the planet to suddenly begin fusion. In other words, the planet would become a small star (to the great annoyance of nearby property owners).