You know that Death Star trench – where Rebel forces had to navigate at the end of Star Wars?

Like most people, all this time you probably thought that the trench was that deep line running across the equator of the Death Star. It’d be the obvious answer, right?

Well, turns out that’s the wrong answer.

But don’t feel bad, you wouldn’t be the first person to get that wrong.

In a blog post, Todd Vaziri of FXRant, explains why most people are wrong and, with confirmation from ILM’s Visual Effects Supervisor John Knoll, clarifies that the trench runs longitudinally (vertically) along the Death Star.

Mind. Blown. Like. Death. Star.

Basically, it’s like this. The trench stretching horizontally across the middle of the Death Star is in fact where the hangar bays are located. Remember when the Millenium Falcon got caught in the tractor beam? That trench, Vaziri explains, is actually large enough to house multiple hangar bays stacked vertically.

In comparison, the final trench run is just large enough for three small fighters to fly down, side-by-side.

And the kicker? It was in the movie the whole time. Right when General Dodonna was briefing the Rebel troops:

It just goes to show that no one ever pays attention in meetings, even in a galaxy far, far away.

Check out Vaziri’s full post for more great details and trivia – including his theory on why so many have gotten this wrong for so long, as well as another discrepancy that you might not have noticed before (hint: regarding the location of the dish array on the Death Star).