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Neil DeGrasse Tyson Says Star Wars Has One Scientifically Accurate Item


Lucasfilm's galaxy far, far away might be more science fantasy than science fiction, but according to the popular astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson, the Star Wars franchise has at least one scientifically accurate piece in it.

The scientist might have scrutinized the franchise's scientific accuracy before, but during a Cosmos: Possible Worlds panel at this year's San Diego Comic-Con International (via Cinema Blend), Tyson said that the franchise has one scientifically accurate portion.

"In the Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, the first of the series it was, Luke comes out and he sees a double sunset. That is the only scientifically accurate thing in all of Star Wars. No, in all seriousness, more than half the stars you see in the night sky are double and multiple star systems and no one had thought to put a planet around any of them. So, the fact this was portrayed in Star Wars, I'll just give a shout-out to that exercise in bringing the rest of the star family into the storytelling that unfolded."

A double sunset might not seem like much, but that's a lot coming from Tyson. Tyson's debunked a lot of Star Wars items in the past, though of course, the scientist's criticism has always been fair and based on actual science. Some of Tyson's criticism includes BB-8 rolling over Jakku sand even though it doesn't have any treads and the presence of sound during the Star Wars franchise's space battles even in the vacuum of space.

Knowing that Star Wars has very little to do with actual science, it's pretty great to see that A New Hope's twin sunset is actually scientifically accurate. It's one of the most touching scenes in the Star Wars film too.

Cosmos: Possible Worlds is set for release sometime early 2019. Star Wars: Episode IX hits cinemas December 20, 2019.

Read: Star Wars: Episode IX Is Looking For "Stern-Faced Individuals" For A Scene With Finn And Poe

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