Niven ring

noun

A solid ring type Dyson ring around a star, capable of containing an interior surface that could be terraformed into a habitat with an inner ring of occultation panels to provide a day-night cycle.

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Meanings

nounNiven ring (plural Niven rings)

plural Niven rings

  1. literatureA solid ring type Dyson ring around a star, capable of containing an interior surface that could be terraformed into a habitat with an inner ring of occultation panels to provide a day-night cycle.

Origin

Named after American science fiction writer Larry Niven, who wrote the famous science-fiction novel Ringworld that popularized the idea.

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Cite this entry
APA

Niven ring. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Niven%20ring

MLA

“Niven ring.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Niven%20ring. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Niven ring,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Niven%20ring.

Source: Niven ring on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.