What is Saturn's Death Star?

One of NASA's latest discoveries could change the definition of what planetary objects aside from Earth will be considered "potentially habitable." Researchers have found that Saturn's tiny, frozen "Death Star" moon, called Mimas, could actually be a "stealth" ocean world.

Why is Mimas called the Death Star?

Mimas, Saturn's cryptic-looking moon, is awfully deceptive. The small moon is dominated by an 80-mile-wide crater, giving it the appearance of the grim Star Wars Death Star — a space station equipped with a planet-destroying weapon.

Does the Death Star have a moon?

Scientists have found "compelling evidence" that Saturn's "Death Star" moon is hiding an ocean just beneath its surface, furthering the search for possible life in our solar system.

What moon is the Death Star based off?

Saturn's moon Mimas is dominated by a huge crater called Herschel that makes the moon look like the Death Star from "Star Wars." This photo was taken Feb. 13, 2010, by NASA's Cassini spacecraft. Mimas is only 246 miles (396 kilometers) across.

Can there be human life on Saturn?

Unfortunately, no. Saturn can't support life as we know it because Saturn is a gas giant planet. It has no solid surface because it is composed of gases, mostly hydrogen and helium.

Saturn's Death Star: Mimas

Is Saturn hot or cold?

Like the other gas giants, Saturn's surface to atmosphere interface is rather nebulous, and likely has a small, rocky core surrounded by a liquid and very thick atmosphere. Saturn is considerably colder than Jupiter being further from the Sun, with an average temperature of about -285 degrees F.

Is Saturn a star?

Saturn is the sixth planet from our Sun (a star) and orbits at a distance of about 886 million miles (1.4 billion kilometers) from the Sun.

Is the Death Star a planet?

The Death Star is a fictional mobile space station and galactic superweapon featured in the Star Wars space-opera franchise.

Is Saturn the only planet with a ring?

Saturn is a funny-looking planet. True, it's not the only planet with rings. Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune have rings, too. But Saturn's rings are the biggest and brightest.

How old is the Saturn?

Saturn was formed at the same time as the rest of the Solar System, from a large spinning disk of gas and dust. Astronomers think that all this happened about 4.6 billion years ago! So Saturn is about 4.6 billion years old.

What is orbiting Saturn?

Titan, the largest moon, comprises more than 90% of the mass in orbit around Saturn, including the rings. Saturn's second-largest moon, Rhea, may have a tenuous ring system of its own, along with a tenuous atmosphere.

Who gave Saturn its name?

The Romans knew of seven bright objects in the sky: the Sun, the Moon, and five brightest planets. They named them after their most important gods. Saturn was named after the Roman god of agriculture.

Which is bigger the moon or the Death Star?

So the Death Star can't be so close it spans half the sky, but it could be close enough to appear larger than our Moon. For example, if the superweapon were 1,000 kilometers above the Earth, its apparent size would be about eight times that of the Moon, making it by far the largest object in the sky.

Who destroyed the 2nd Death Star?

This improvisation gave Rebel ground forces more time, and Han was eventually able to destroy Death Star II's shield generator. Lando and Wedge Antilles (in an X-wing) both flew inside the superstructure, knocking out its main reactor and finally destroying Death Star II.

Can Darth Vader destroy a planet?

A new canon story reveals Sith sabotage. It's no secret that Darth Vader was no fan of the Death Star. As he said in Star Wars: A New Hope: "The ability to destroy a planet is insignificant next to the power of the Force."

Can the Death Star destroy Earth?

Alderaan and Earth are very similar, so we'll look at what it would take for the Death Star to destroy Earth. For that, the Death Star would have to overpower the forces that hold the planet together—in this case, gravity. The gravitational binding energy of Earth is 2.24*10^32 Joules (that's 240 followed by 32 zeros).

Is Saturn a failed sun?

Gas giants are also called failed stars because they contain the same basic elements as a star. Jupiter and Saturn are the gas giants of the Solar System.

Does it rain diamonds on Saturn?

About 10 million tons of diamond rain down on Saturn each year. The new molecule is relatively heavy, and when attracted by the planet's gravity, begins to be drawn downwards.

How many moons does Earth have 2021?

The simple answer is that Earth has only one moon, which we call “the moon”. It is the largest and brightest object in the night sky, and the only solar system body besides Earth that humans have visited in our space exploration efforts. The more complex answer is that the number of moons has varied over time.

What if Earth had a ring?

At more temperate latitudes, the rings would look like a giant arch, crossing from one end of the sky to the other. These glittering rings would neither rise nor set, and would always appear in the exact same place in the sky. These cosmic landmarks would be visible both day and night.