I’ve been watching some youtube videos on multiple star systems, and I’m very confused as to whether each of the stars can have their planets.
If two of the stars are in a binary configeration for example, I think they would have their own ‘planets’ together, however I don’t know if a third star separate to the first two would have it’s own stable system.
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If the two stars are a close binary, a planet can orbit them both collectively at a great distance.
If the two stars are orbiting far apart, it’s possible for planets to orbit just one of the pair much more closely.
What orbits are stable depends on the relative size of the stars and their distance. Some binaries are practically kissing and others orbit at such a distance that they’d just be the brightest star in the night sky.
Yes.
It would not look all that different from our own solar system. The Sun and Jupiter are revolving around a point in between one another; Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars are orbiting the Sun; Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto are orbiting Jupiter; Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune are orbiting the whole system.
In our case the Sun is *way* larger than Jupiter, such that their combined center of mass is almost within the Sun’s radius. But the underlying mechanics would be approximately the same even if they were more closely matched.
Depends on how close the stars are. Obviously, in a contact binary, where the outer shells touch, there’s no planets.
If we look at the Alpha Centauri system, Alpha Centauri A and B are in a fairly close orbit, and Proxima Centauri orbits those two at a fair distance. Proxima has 3 known planets. Alpha Centauri A may have a Jupiter-sized planet orbiting it. B has no known planets. But, at least potentially, you could have two stars, each with their own planets, orbiting each other, another set of planets orbiting the two stars, and a third star even farther out with its own planetary system.
In a binary star system, there is a theoretical stable figure-8 orbit around both stars. A planet is unlikely to form there, but a captured object might, although it’s highly unlikely.
Minor point: There is only one solar system, ours.
The actual name of our sun is “Sol”. Hence, Solar system. Other suns that have planets orbiting them are simply called “Planetary Systems“.
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