![]() That might make it, like Mustafar, suitable for mining, although its extremely tight orbit around its sun-like star, along with scorching temperatures, provides an unlikely arena for industrial operations - or for fencing with lightsabers. Kepler-78b, roughly 20 percent larger than Earth, weighs in at twice Earth's mass a comparable density means it could be composed of rock and iron. These molten, lava-covered worlds, such as Kepler-10b and Kepler-78b, are rocky planets in Earth's size range whose surfaces could well be perpetual infernos. The planet Mustafar, scene of an epic duel between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker in "Revenge of the Sith," has a number of exoplanet counterparts. The starlight shining through the atmospheres of these planets could reveal their composition in future observations. Astronomers using K2, the second planet-finding mission of the Kepler space telescope, recently detected three such planets orbiting a nearby dwarf star. And tasting the atmospheres of smaller, rocky, potentially habitable exoplanets soon could be within reach. In our galaxy, emerging technology allows us to read out the components of real exoplanet atmospheres - including gas giants (though so far none show signs of habitable layers). This not-so-hot Jupiter, about 186 light-years away from Earth, was detected using the 11.8-foot (3.6-meter) telescope at La Silla Observatory in Chile.īespin's atmospheric layers include a band of breathable air, ideal for floating cities. The star, HIP 11915, is about the same age and composition as our sun, raising the possibility that its entire planetary system might be similar to ours. An international astronomical team discovered a twin of our own Jupiter, orbiting its star at about the same distance as Jupiter is from the sun. One recent discovery, however, shows that gas "exogiants" can orbit their stars at distances remarkably similar to those in our solar system. Many of the gas giants found so far by instruments such as NASA's Kepler Space Telescope are so-called "hot Jupiters" - star-hugging behemoths far too thoroughly barbecued to be proper sites for floating cities. The toadstool-shaped city provides apparent refuge for a fleeing Princess Leia and company - at least until Darth Vader wreaks his usual havoc. Gas giants of all stripes populate the real exoplanet universe in "The Empire Strikes Back," a gas giant called Bespin is home to a "Cloud City" actively involved in atmospheric mining. NASA, too, has examined the question, and found that gases such as helium-3 and hydrogen could be extracted from the atmospheres of Uranus and Neptune. ![]() Mining the atmospheres of giant gas planets is a staple of science fiction. If this planet (which is 1.6 times the size of Earth) were truly Earth-like, and if technological life forms were present, some climate engineering might be needed there as well. On Kepler-452b, conditions are growing markedly warmer as its star's energy output increases, a symptom of advanced age. The denizens of Coruscant not only have an entirely engineered planetary surface, but an engineered climate as well. ![]() That would give any technologically adept species more than a billion-year jump ahead of us. Kepler-452b belongs to a star system 1.5 billion years older than Earth's. The most recently revealed exoplanet possessing Earth-like properties, Kepler-452b, might make a good stand-in for Coruscant - the high-tech world seen in several Star Wars films whose surface is encased in a single, globe-spanning city. Still, a quick spin around the real exoplanet universe offers tantalizing similarities to several Star Wars counterparts. No indications of life have yet been detected on any of the nearly 2,000 scientifically confirmed exoplanets, so we don't know if any of them are inhabited by Wookiees or mynocks, or play host to exotic alien bar scenes (or even bacteria, for that matter). A super Earth in deep freeze? Think ice-planet "Hoth." And that distant world with double sunsets can't help but summon thoughts of sandy "Tatooine." The fantasy creations of the "Star Wars" universe are strikingly similar to real planets in our own Milky Way galaxy. ![]()
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