A Class C Stellar Engine is built around a Sun-like star. It consists of a partial Dyson swarm composed of 5 Dyson Rings of solar collectors (the Class B component), and a large statite Shkadov thruster (the Class A component). Perspective is from below the system's ecliptic at a distance of ~2.8 AU. The system's direction of acceleration is on a vector which passes from the center of the star through the center of the Shkadov thruster, which is hovering over the star's north pole (with regards to the ecliptic), at a distance of 1 AU.
Stellar engines are megastructures which use a star's radiation to create usable energy. Some variants use this energy to produce thrust and thus accelerate a star (and anything orbiting it) in a given direction.
| Class | Decription | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| A | A class A stellar engine uses the impulse of the radiation emitted by a star to produce a thrust force. | |
| B | A class B stellar engine uses the energy flux of the radiation emitted by a star to generate mechanical power. | Dyson sphere |
| C | A Class C stellar engine combines A and B, employing both the propulsion of Class A and the energy generation of Class B. |
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| D | A Class D stellar engine uses a star’s mass to propel the star. | Stellification |
| E | A Class E stellar engine employs a weapon to move or destroy the star. | Shklovsky Mining Graser |