Scientists Find Evidence of a Real-Life Tatooine!
An artist's depiction of the binary brown-dwarf system
Post Author- Ellis Nolan
Probably the most recognizable landscape in the Star Wars universe is Tatooine, Luke Skywalker’s desolate home planet, where his fate finds him in the form of two crash-landing rebellion droids. Twin suns illuminate the desert wasteland, and in a recent discovery right out of George Lucas’s scripts, scientists believe they have found a planet similar to the one Skywalker begrudgingly calls home.
In a galaxy far, far away (around 120 light years from Earth, to be exact), researchers have found evidence of a planet orbiting two brown dwarfs, sometimes known as “failed stars.” This is because they lack the mass to fuse hydrogen, unlike stars like the Sun, but still emit light and heat from fusing deuterium, unlike gas giants such as Jupiter, in which no fusion is present.
Scientists recently noticed that the orbit of the two failed stars is changing, which would be unlikely to occur if their system was limited to the two objects. This led them to hypothesize that a third mass, a planet, must exist in the system. While it still hasn’t been directly observed, scientists already know of more than a dozen exoplanets that follow a multi-star orbit. They are quite rare, and more research is needed to confirm their existence, as well as whether it is inhabited by Banthas and Tusken Raiders.
Want to have your own piece of Tatooine? Check out our Krayt Dragon specimen here, a screen-used Star Wars Prop!
Featured Product
Dunkleosteus - Skull Fossil Fragment
Latest News
-
Jul 29, 2025 Scientists Discover First Ever Ancient Roman Trilobite! Read More -
Jul 23, 2025 The Hollywood Sign: The Story of a City's Symbol Hollywoodland Read More -
Jul 20, 2025 Denver Museum Finds Dinosaurs in their Backyard! Read More -
Jul 17, 2025 Building Disneyland Read More -
Jul 10, 2025 Neolithic Vegetarians: Learn About the Wooden Tools Used by Early Humans! Read More -
Jul 04, 2025 Viking for a Day: Researchers Recreate Viking Voyages! Read More
Cool Things!
Scientists Discover First Ever Ancient Roman Trilobite!
It’s well known among archaeologists that the ancient Romans had a reverence for fossils. For example, it is thought they believed mammoth bones and teeth were those of dragons and cyclopes, and thus, these items were often displayed in places of power. However, researchers in Spain recently uncovered an exceedingly rare Roman fossil artifact from an unlikely place.
Denver Museum Finds Dinosaurs in their Backyard!
For patrons of a popular Denver museum, newly discovered dinosaur fossils are quite literally in their backyard!
Neolithic Vegetarians: Learn About the Wooden Tools Used by Early Humans!
When you think of the Stone Age, scenes of Neanderthals chasing down great beasts of old for food and furs might come to mind. Many studies have shown the invention and development of stone tools were essential to early humans’ efforts to hunt animals, but according to a recent study, that perspective may have an overbearing presence in the perception of the Stone Age.
Specimen Deep Dives
The Hollywood Sign: The Story of a City's Symbol Hollywoodland
Building Disneyland
When the Sky Split in Two: The Tunguska Event
Long Form Articles
The Artist Behind the Macintosh: Susan Kare and Apple Computers
While the two Steves, Jobs and Wozniak, are the most well known faces behind Apple computers, equally important to the products and culture of the company were those who crafted the experience of using their computers through design. The most notable of these visual architects was Susan Kare, a designer responsible for “humanizing” Macintosh computers.
Can I Lick It? Yes You Can!
Have you ever been unable to tell if a fossil was really a fossil, but you were too embarrassed to admit it? Have you ever wanted to lick a fossil just because, but you didn’t want to risk judgment from your peers? Well, good news! You can kill two birds with one stone! Licking a fossil can actually help you determine if it’s the real deal or just another rock.
Is It Legal To Own a Meteorite: How to Start Your Outer Space Collection!
Meteorites are some of the rarest geological specimens to be found on Earth. Of course, since these stones are not of our world, purchasing them can sometimes be a confusing process. Is it legal to own a meteorite? In short, yes! Read on for help starting your cosmic collection!