On 2 May 2020 at 11:35, via_tml?= =?us-ascii?q?_list wrote:

>     One of the Magellenic Cluds? One of the globular clusters orbiting
>     the galaxy (that's actually not a good place as there stars are
>     likely to old to have usuable planets).
>
> ummm, stupid question:
> wouldn't this be a *good* place as the civilization would be *very*
> old (or rather would have had a lot of time) and would have been able
> to suck up lots of (old) matter to create the thing?

The stars that formed from the original material from the Big Bang
(pure hydrogen, or hydrogen with a bit of helium mixed, depending on
which theories you favor) are "first generation stars.

Being as *only* hydrogen (and maybe some helium) were available the
only planets they can have are gass giants, and ones that only
contain hydrogen/helium.

As such no life is possible.

The lower mass first generation stars (red dwarfs) are still burning
away. The higher mass ones have died in various ways over the last 10
billion years. Turned into white dwarves, or gone supernova for the
high mass stars.

Second generations stars formed around 5 billion years after the
first generation stars and formed out of gas clouds enriched by the
elements created in those supernovas.
They won't have anything heavier than iron, and little of that.

Way different elemental abundances than what we see ion the solar
system. If life evolves, it'll be *way* different than life we are
familiar with because of lack of various metals used in crucial
processes.

Such life would also consider Earth to be impossibly toxic because of
the abundance of heavy metals (to them that'd be anything much beyond
calcium). Also since they'd be 5 billion or so years farther along
than us, they are either gone, or so far advanced that we wouldn't
interact.

Sol is a third generation star. It formed about 10 billion years
after the Big Bang and from a nebula enriched by elements generated
when second generation stars supernovaed.

Oh yeah, Sol is one of the *older* third gen stars in the area. so
*we* may wind up being the "older and wiser" race so often seen in
SF. Scary thought, ain't it?
--
Leonard Erickson (aka shadow)
shadow at shadowgard dot com