Did Han Solo Use A Trick Of Einstein’s Relativity To Make The Kessel Run?
As the new Star Wars movie, Solo, premieres, let’s look at the physics of how his most famous achievement might actually be possible.
The Millennium Falcon’s greatest achievement, according to its captain in Star Wars: A New Hope, seemed to defy the laws of physics itself. When Han Solo, the ship’s captain, met Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi, he seemed incredulous that the two men wouldn’t know that the ship is fast enough to outrun the Empire. “You’ve never heard of the Millennium Falcon,” Solo questions. “It’s the ship that made the Kessel Run in less than twelve parsecs.” Obi-Wan looks incredulously at Solo, perhaps unmoved by the illogical boast.
It’s illogical, of course, because when you boast about a vehicle’s speed, you typically speak about how quickly it can get you to your destination. You might be impressed to make something called the “Kessel Run” in less than 30 minutes, but you wouldn’t be impressed if you made it in less than 30 miles. That’s what a parsec is: a unit of distance, approximately equal to 3.26 light years.
