The
Kardashev scale is a method of measuring a
civilization's level of
technological advancement, based on the amount of
energy a civilization is able to utilize directed towards communication. The scale has three designated categories called
Type I,
II, and
III. A Type I civilization is able to utilize and store energy available from its neighboring star which reaches their planet, Type II is able to harness the energy of the entire star (the most popular hypothetic concept being the
Dyson sphere—a device which would encompass the entire star and transfer its energy to the planet), and Type III civilization are galactic travelers and possess knowledge of everything having to do with energy. The scale is hypothetical, and regards energy consumption on a
cosmic scale. It was first proposed in 1964 by the
Soviet astronomer Nikolai Kardashev. Various extensions of the scale have been proposed since, from a wider range of power levels (types 0, IV and V) to the use of metrics other than pure power.