multiple star systems

Observations of the trinary star GW Ori (right) show it’s surrounded by a complex system of gas and dust, depicted in artwork (left) showing tilted rings and warped disks. Credit: ESO/L. Calçada, Exeter/Kraus et al.

Take THAT Tatooine: A planet may be orbiting a triple star system

By Phil Plait 1 month ago

The double star (and not binary) Albireo, or Beta Cygni, the color difference obvious. Credit: Tom Wildoner

Just how many stars is Albireo, and is one of them a black hole?

By Phil Plait 7 months ago

Diagram of the orbits (not to scale) of the sextuple star TYC 7037-89-1: Three similar eclipsing binary stars orbiting each other. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

Cool: Six-star system found. Cooler: Made of three binaries. Coolest: Eclipsing binaries.

By Phil Plait 10 months ago

Artwork showing a quiet black hole against a starry background. Credit: NASA, ESA, D. Coe, G. Bacon (STScI)

Astronomers find the closest known black hole to Earth!

By Phil Plait 1 year ago

Raffi shows Enoch, the navigational hologram, a schematic of an octonary, an eight-star system, as shown in the Star Trek: Picard episode, “Broken Pieces”. Credit: CBS

Octonary stars and 'Broken Pieces': Can the eight-star system from Star Trek: Picard actually exist?

By Phil Plait 1 year ago

Artwork depicting the birth of a quadruple star system similar to CzeV1640, with two binary systems in turn orbiting each other. Credit: Institute of Astronomy / University of Hawaii

Yo dawg, I heard you like eclipsing binaries, so I put an eclipsing binary around your eclipsing binary

By Phil Plait 2 years ago