While everyone is visiting the Dumbbell Sector feel free to contribute to the
Dumbbell Project. The goal is to map it completely to gather data for future colonisation.
This project takes a different approach to colonisation, no time limits, no restrictions on gameplay, simply scan systems while you're in the sector and record any interesting finds. It's a long term project to map every system in the sector.
As you all know, group exploration with a goal makes exploration much more enjoyable. There's an opportunity to synergise the "August Exodus" and "Dumbbell Project" and make progress simultaneously. If you're interested in long term, large scale colonisation then gathering data is the first step!
So far most proposals for colonisation have been to create single isolated, long distance colonies which would have no intereaction with the rest of the galaxy's trade routes and factions.
The Dumbbell Project will demonstrate the feasibility of large scale colonisation! The sector has a 100ly radius. To date the following has been discovered:
13 Earth likes
67 Water CFTs
98 Water Worlds
335 High Metal Content CFTs
7 Rocky CFTs
24 Ammonia Worlds
Apply this same concept to more distant sectors and we'll be able to discover and record good regions to colonise when the mechanics are added in the future!
Here's a sample of some of the colonisable systems:
https://dumbbellsector.imgur.com/
More details about the project are listed in the link at the top of this post.