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Article: Binary births: astronomers investigate the secret lives of paired young stars.
- Article from:
- Science News
- Article date:
- October 29, 1988
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1988 Science Service, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Binary Births
On a clear night, the sky seems filled with stars. But the naked eye detects only a fraction of what's really there. About half of those visible stars whirl through space with a hidden partner -- a second star too close or too faint to be readily visible by itself.
Astronomers have discovered that stars are as likely to exist in binary systems, in which two stars orbit each other, as they are to live out their lives in splendid isolation. Nevertheless, many questions concerning the formation and early history of such stars remain unanswered. Among the more intriguing: Are binaries equally common among newly formed stars? If so, what ...