A Binary Star System Turns Deadly | How the Universe Works

Binary stars are stars which revolve around a central point and are held captive by gravity in a similar manner to planets, but are stars rather than planets. These systems are very prominent in the universe and it is believed that more than a half of stars are in the binary system.

The two stars may be comparable in size and mass or drastically dissimilar and the dynamics between them result in a wide range of astronomical events. Binary systems are also categorised depending on the orbit of the stars and the distance between them; it can be wide binaries where the stars are very far apart and do not influence each other greatly and close binaries where the stars move in tight orbits and they can exchange mass; this causes strange occurrences like nova explosions and creation of objects such as X-ray binaries.

Observations of binary star systems are essential for the studies of stellar birth and death, and for determination of stellar mass and distance measurements. Also, binaries make it possible to explore the laws of physics under various conditions, and are therefore a topic of major interest in astronomy.

Binary star systems, while commonplace in our known universe, have the potential to birth some of the most menacing celestial bodies around: pulsars.