Here are 10 planets from the Star Wars galaxy that surprisingly exist in our own world.

Whether you love it or not, the impact of Star Wars on global culture is undeniable. It has produced unforgettable moments and reshaped the science fiction genre. Star Wars remains a cherished franchise, even for those who aren't movie buffs. George Lucas introduced memorable characters (excluding the prequels) and built a remarkable universe filled with one-of-a-kind planets. Some of these planets even have counterparts that could exist in our universe.

It's important to note that while Lucas didn’t write all the Star Wars novels, comics, games, and TV shows, they are all regarded as canon. The planets and moons listed here appear in at least one of the original six Star Wars films, making them creations of Lucas, even though additional details may have been added by others. Regardless, it's fascinating that these fictional worlds, with extreme ecosystems and unimaginable characteristics, might actually exist in distant parts of our galaxy.

10. Kepler-47c: The Planet with Twin Suns, Just Like Tatooine’s Legendary Sunsets

One of the most unforgettable moments from Star Wars: A New Hope, and perhaps from the entire series, is the stunning binary sunset on Tatooine, the home planet of Luke Skywalker. Paired with John Williams' magnificent score, this scene always brings a wave of emotion and chills to viewers. It's a beloved moment for sci-fi fans, and the possibility that such a world might actually exist only adds to the excitement.

In 2012, astronomers made an exciting discovery when they found Kepler-47c, an exoplanet located nearly 5,000 light-years away, within the habitable zone of the Kepler-47 binary star system. Kepler-47c orbits two stars, which allows for the possibility of Tatooine-like double sunsets. A circumbinary orbit means that the planet revolves around two stars instead of just one, suggesting that it didn’t form in this orbit but rather migrated into it.

However, before you get ready to pack your lightsabers and learn Jawaese, it’s important to know that despite being located in the habitable zone, Kepler-47c is actually an inhospitable gas giant. This doesn’t rule out the possibility of desert moons orbiting the distant stars, though. Until astronomers can get a closer look at the system, we can continue to dream.

9. Enceladus: The Twin of Hoth

The iconic Battle of Hoth played a key role in making The Empire Strikes Back the top pick for most Star Wars fans. This icy world, home to the Tauntauns, might not be as fictional as we once thought. Saturn's icy moon Enceladus is filled with cryovolcanic activity on its south pole, where instead of lava, it ejects water and other volatile substances. Due to the cold temperatures, the water refreezes and falls back to the surface as snow, though at an exceptionally slow rate of 0.0001 centimeters (0.0004 inches) per year.

However, there's no need to worry, as snowfalls of up to 100 meters have been found on Enceladus. Due to the moon's extremely low gravity, the snowflakes that form are only a few microns in size (finer than talcum powder). As a result, an unsuspecting AT-AT walker would easily become trapped in the deeper snowdrifts.

8. Europa: A Smaller, Younger Version of Mygeeto

The icy world of Mygeeto became the final resting place for Jedi Master Ki-Adi-Mundi, who was tragically betrayed and killed by his clone troopers, specifically CC-1138. You may recall this brief moment, hidden within the whirlwind of Jedi deaths in Star Wars: Episode III. Though Mygeeto’s tragic events were overshadowed, the striking similarities between this frozen planet and Europa are certainly worth noting.

The fictional Mygeeto has a cold, desolate, icy surface resulting from centuries of inactive tectonic movement. Europa, Jupiter's fourth-largest moon, could be seen as a younger counterpart to Mygeeto (though it is a moon, not a planet) with a smooth, crater-free icy exterior, suggesting significant geological activity. In planetology, the absence of craters signals a younger and more active surface, as lava would have covered any existing craters. Once this moon cools down entirely, its icy surface will remain long after its tectonic activity ceases, transforming it into a smaller version of Mygeeto in our own solar system.

Europa is also adorned with sharp ice formations, some towering up to 10 meters (33 feet) above its surface, making it a fitting place for a lackluster, inconsequential battle scene involving characters who barely leave an impression.

7. Kepler-86c: Potential Future Location for Cloud City

Above the toxic clouds of the gas giant Bespin floats the immaculate Cloud City, positioned safely in a layer of breathable oxygen. While gas giants are plentiful across the universe, only a few reside within their star’s habitable zone, and Kepler-86b is one of them.

Naturally, a floating city doesn’t form on its own, so humans will need to settle Kepler-86c, which presents a number of possibilities. First, it’s within the habitable zone, meaning that explorers wouldn’t face deadly temperatures. Second, cyanobacteria could be introduced to the atmosphere to generate oxygen through photosynthesis. By the time we have the technology to travel the more than 1,200 light-years to Kepler-86c, we may also have the means to create a floating city on this distant world. Let’s just hope we’ve also developed enough self-control to resist the lure of the Dark Side by then.

6. Mars: A Twin of Geonosis

The Battle of Geonosis, marking the start of the infamous Clone Wars in Episode II: Attack of the Clones, unfolded on this desert planet. If the name doesn’t immediately ring a bell, it’s the planet teeming with fly-like creatures, where Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Padme faced off against a rhino, a lizard-cat, and a massive praying mantis. The world is covered with dramatic, Grand Canyon-like features carved by powerful flash floods, leaving behind vast deserts that give Geonosis its iconic red hue. Let’s not beat around the bush here; it’s basically Mars.

With a diameter of roughly 12,000 kilometers (7,500 miles), Geonosis is nearly twice as wide as Mars and is closer in size to Earth itself. However, in terms of surface features, Geonosis resembles Earth’s second-closest neighbor almost perfectly. Both planets feature small amounts of water (Mars has 2 percent, Geonosis has 5 percent), are dominated by expansive deserts (classifying them as desert planets), have suffered surface erosion due to water, and are commonly known as “The Red Planet.” Mars is essentially a smaller version of Geonosis.

5. Earth: A Reimagined Alderaan

Alderaan, the home of the beloved Princess Leia, was tragically destroyed by the infamous Death Star, appearing on-screen for just a brief moment before its obliteration. The planet’s stunning atmospheric clouds, vast oceans, and sprawling landmasses are a clear indication that Alderaan shares more similarities with Earth than any other planet in the Star Wars universe. It’s not outside the realm of possibility that George Lucas drew inspiration from Earth when creating Alderaan, given the striking resemblances.

Alderaan boasts a 24-hour rotational period (a day length), a 365-day orbital period (a year), a planetary diameter of 12,500 kilometers (7,800 miles), and a solitary moon that orbits it, mirroring Earth in nearly every way. With breathable air, abundant oceans, lush grasslands, a functional government, and a well-established, enlightened culture, it’s clear that Earth is the closest equivalent to Alderaan. Let’s just hope we don’t attract a destructive empire to our corner of the galaxy anytime soon.

4. Mimas: The Death Star Lookalike

That’s not just a space station; it’s a moon... and it resides right in our own solar system. Discovered in 1789 by William Herschel, Mimas is Saturn’s seventh-largest moon. Thanks to its enormous crater, it closely resembles the Death Star, which was capable of destroying entire planets. While the original Death Star had a diameter of 160 kilometers (99 miles) and its successor, Death Star II, measured a massive 900 kilometers (559 miles), Mimas is a more modest 397 kilometers (247 miles) across, making it something like Death Star 1.5.

It wasn’t until the Voyager One and Two spacecraft flew past the small moon in 1980—three years after the release of *Star Wars*—that the first images of Mimas were seen, making its similarity to the Death Star all the more remarkable. Maybe George Lucas had a bit of guidance from the Force on this one. (After all, the Force can work in mysterious ways, right?)

By pure coincidence, the Herschel crater, named after Mimas’ discoverer, is almost perfectly scaled to match the Death Star’s superlaser focusing eye. Measuring approximately 140 kilometers (87 miles) across, the Herschel crater is a great match for the superlaser dish on Death Star I, which measures 40 kilometers (25 miles). Since Mimas is 2.5 times larger than Death Star I, the dish can be proportionally enlarged to about 100 kilometers (62 miles)—while not a perfect fit, it’s close enough for astronomical comparisons.

So, if Mimas were really the Death Star, would we be safe? Well, Mimas is located a comfortable 1.2 billion kilometers away, far beyond the 420 million kilometers maximum range of the Death Star’s superlaser, and certainly out of its optimal 2 million kilometers range. But, of course, that’s assuming Mimas can’t move—unfortunately, it can. The Death Star is equipped with a class-4.0 hyperdrive, enabling it to cover hundreds of thousands of light-years in just a few hours, meaning it could reach Earth (a mere 0.000127 percent of a light-year away) in mere seconds. Even though the Death Star requires an enormous energy charge of 2.4 x 10^29 watts (one million times more than the Sun’s output), the charge-up time would be so fast that Earth wouldn’t even have time to react. We’re sorry to bring you this bad news.

3. Kepler-22b: The Twin of Kamino

Known as the Planet of Storms, Kamino is entirely covered by a global ocean that submerged its continents after a major climate shift. (A subtle nod from George Lucas, perhaps.) Despite the ocean covering the entire surface, life flourishes, with the technologically advanced yet graceful Kaminoans living in floating pods above the turbulent waves. They are famed for their cloning expertise, which plays a pivotal role in *Episode II: Attack of the Clones*. While the idea of cloning isn’t exactly foreign to us, and the concept of a corrupt empire certainly isn’t either, the oceanic world of Kamino might actually be quite plausible.

Several recently discovered exoplanets are believed to be water worlds, including Kepler-62e, GJ-1214b, and 55-Cancri Ae, but Kepler-22b stands out as the most promising candidate for Kamino. Despite being 33 percent larger than Kamino, both planets are completely covered in vast oceans and orbit within the habitable zone of their respective stars. To determine if Kepler-22b could truly be Kamino, we'd need a telescope powerful enough to capture images of cloning pods on a planet located 600 light-years away. While such technology is far from our reach, and the ability to travel such immense distances even farther, it may be more practical to master cloning here on Earth before relying on the Kaminoans to guide us.

2. UCF-1.01: Another Mustafar

Mustafar was the site of the intense final battle between Obi-Wan and Anakin. With lava erupting across its entire surface, Mustafar may remind you of Jupiter’s volcanic moon Io, as they share a similar size. (Io has a diameter of 3,600 kilometers [2,200 miles], while Mustafar spans 4,200 kilometers [2,600 miles] in diameter.) However, Io is a moon, not a planet. While this distinction might seem like a technicality, there are several examples of lava planets, including Kepler-78b, COROT-7b, and Alpha Centauri–Bb.

The previously mentioned candidates are much larger than Mustafar, so a better comparison might be the newly discovered UCF-1.01. UCF-1.01 is twice the size of Mustafar, with a diameter of 8,400 kilometers (5,200 miles), and orbits 2.7 million kilometers from its parent star (for comparison, Earth is 150 million kilometers from the Sun). This results in a surface temperature of a scorching 540 degrees Celsius (1,004 °F), which would certainly explain how Anakin suffered such severe burns.

The iconic duel on Mustafar required 910 special effects artists and 70,441 man-hours to produce just 49 seconds of footage. With that much effort, one might think we could have located the lava planet, traveled there, and filmed the epic battle on-site, all while having time to take in the sights.

1. Endor Could Exist

The forest moon of Endor, the beloved Ewok haven, played a pivotal role in the final moments of the Star Wars saga. With nothing but determination and a collection of ingenious traps, the little furry creatures managed to defeat the mighty Galactic Empire by sabotaging the Death Star's shield generator. Armed with nothing more than twigs and mud, they allowed the Rebels to destroy the Death Star for the second time. While the existence of Ewoks seems highly improbable, and their ability to take down an entire technologically superior empire is even more unlikely, the forest moon they call home might very well exist.

Very few gas giants outside our solar system are located within their star's habitable zone. Although no moons have yet been discovered orbiting exoplanets, it's likely that these distant gas giants have at least one moon, just as Saturn and Jupiter do, with over 120 moons between them.

Among the most promising gaseous exoplanet candidates are 47–Ursae Majoris b, HD-28185b, Upsilon Andromedae d, and 55-Cancri f. However, before rushing out to buy your very own pet Ewok, keep in mind that the closest planetary candidate for Endor is a hefty 41 light-years away on 55-Cancri f. So, for now, it’s probably best to stick to the plush versions, which are far less noisy and destructive than the real thing.