The megastructure

The Solaris Pea is a hollow spherical megastructure with a diameter of 1.3927 million kilometres — matching the Sun. Its exterior surface is clad entirely in real pea pods (Pisum sativum), arranged in a dense mosaic across 6.1 × 10¹⁸ m² of surface area.

The structural shell is constructed from carbon composite panels, with a total mass of approximately 1.0 × 10²² kg — roughly one-seventh the mass of the Moon. This is achievable because the sphere is hollow, not solid.

Positioning

The completed structure will be positioned at or near the Sun–Earth L4 or L5 Lagrange point — gravitationally stable locations that allow the sphere to maintain a fixed position relative to both the Sun and Earth without continuous thrust.

At this distance, the sphere will be visible from Earth as a green point of light — a second sun in the sky, distinctly coloured by its pea-pod surface.

Illumination

The interior of the sphere houses a fusion core that provides self-illumination. This light passes through the translucent structural shell and illuminates the pea pods from within, giving the structure its characteristic green glow visible across the solar system.

The fusion core also provides power for internal systems, agricultural operations on the surface, and the electromagnetic systems that maintain structural integrity.

Surface operations

The 5.2 × 10²² pea pods on the exterior are not decorative — they are a functioning agricultural system. Pods are continuously grown, harvested, and replaced by autonomous robotic systems operating across the entire surface area. The harvest feeds the orbital workforce that built and maintains the structure.