Star Wars science
by John at 6/08/2005 11:57:00 AM
National Geographic talked to Bruce Betts, a planetary scientist at the Planetary Society in Pasadena, California, and Seth Shostak, a senior astronomer at the SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) Institute in Mountain View, California about the science behind the worlds featured in the Star Wars movies. Unfortunately, they leave out the moons of Endor and Yavin, which have evolved Earth-like climates despite being, well, the moons of gas giant planets. How possible is that? Not very, I think.
Forbes magazine also had about a month agoa feature on the science of Star Wars in a pretty annoying slide-show format. (I'm not up on my Star Wars geekery, but I think they are wrong about the light sabers - I think light sabers aren't lasers, they are some kind of plasma field.)
Wrapping up the Star Wars science, Phil Plait's Bad Astronomy has a bad science review of Revenge of the Sith. You might also want to check out his reviews of The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones.
Forbes magazine also had about a month agoa feature on the science of Star Wars in a pretty annoying slide-show format. (I'm not up on my Star Wars geekery, but I think they are wrong about the light sabers - I think light sabers aren't lasers, they are some kind of plasma field.)
Wrapping up the Star Wars science, Phil Plait's Bad Astronomy has a bad science review of Revenge of the Sith. You might also want to check out his reviews of The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones.
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