Kessel, the largest planet of the system it was named after, is known for its potato-like shape. This planet is no more than a large moon and has become one of the most important planets in the galaxy’s smuggling circles. Kessel is the only source of the telepathy-inducing glitterstim spice in known space. Having no atmosphere of its own, large atmosphere-producing factories were constructed all over the planet's surface. While the planet still remains too small to hold the atmosphere that is created by these factories, the atmosphere they do create allows one to traverse the surface needing only oxygen masks. Due to the inability of Kessel to hold an atmosphere, the factories are constantly in operation in order to equalize the constant loss of atmosphere. This constant atmosphere loss has made for another unique aspect of Kessel; as the planet travels through space it leaves behind a visible white trail of oxygen from its artificial atmosphere, causing many to mistake the planet for a comet. Spice can be used for a variety of products but its largest and most lucrative use is to induce temporary telepathy upon its subject. When spice was first discovered the spice mines were run by the less reputable elements of the galaxy. The Empire, upon examining the wealth that this product provided to those elements, took over full control of the spice mining operations in Kessel and sealed off the system with military forces. Requiring a large pool of manpower to operate the deadly mines on Kessel, the Empire created a prison on the planet's surface to meet the increasing workforce demands of the mines. This prison was used to house both political enemies of the Empire as well as other criminals. Many were given long-term sentences to prevent them from ever leaving the mines with stories of its horrors. Incarceration at the Kessel prison was soon to be a dreaded sentence for any unfortunate persons who found themselves before the courts of the Empire. To be sentenced to Kessel, no matter what the duration, was most likely a death sentence for any species. Kessel being no more than a moon has no molten core and no atmosphere and thus generates no heat. Being in the deep mines of Kessel is near to being in space itself and is just as cold. Constant cave-ins, faulty breathing masks, and obsolete heating gear meant that many prisoners suffered the unfortunate death of either exposure to the vacuum of space or suffering its frigid environment. On top of these problems, any direct exposure to light activates the spice and as such the miners have to work in complete darkness as they traverse the dangerous mines. To make an already dangerous occupation more deadly, the origins of the spice on Kessel were regrettably discovered by an unfortunate miner. The spice is created by a voracious species of energy spider native to Kessel, who use the spice strands as a web to catch prey. A miner could wander into one of these webs and find themselves impaled by one of these spiders and be completely drained of energy in mere moments.