Far out in the depths of space, a planetary system boasts not one, but two stars, each with their own planets orbiting them. Each star would be clearly visible from the planets circling either star and inhabitants of either system would figure out fairly quickly that they are somehow connected to the other star. It’d be a binary stellar planetary system.
Sound like science fiction? Well, it is a classic theme in sci-fi. After all, science fiction authors do have a thing for exotic planetary systems and what the inhabitants of such systems might be like. Regardless, it’s no longer sci-fi. Science fiction has this habit of becoming fact and it’s happened again.
Scientists using the Hubble Space Telescope recently discovered a system they named 253-1536 because, as far as names go, it’s obvious that astronomers aren’t allowed to use their imagination. I blame the IAU for this, the same organization who decided that Pluto is no longer a planet because – well, because they say so. This system is a binary star formation where two stars orbit each other around a common centre of gravity. And, in this case, each star has a telltale disc of material surrounding them that is highly indicative of planet formation.
This is a real breakthrough in planetary astronomy as it’s the first discovery of planet building in a binary system. This is an important development if for no other reason than the fact that binary star systems are very common in the universe. If planets can form around one or both of the stars, then the possibility is that there are far more planets out there than science originally thought.
