Comments on: 4 stars within 6 AU http://www.starstryder.com/2008/01/10/4-stars-within-6-au/ Blogging one sidereal day at a time Sat, 04 Feb 2012 16:26:45 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Steve J http://www.starstryder.com/2008/01/10/4-stars-within-6-au/comment-page-1/#comment-22790 Steve J Fri, 11 Jan 2008 15:32:28 +0000 http://www.starstryder.com/2008/01/10/4-stars-within-6-au/#comment-22790 @Beth, I was about to say that they're not just close, four stars within the orbit of Jupiter is epic Sci Fi close. It's very cool when you find something in nature that would seem like a nice, but frankly slightly implausible, idea if you read it in a work of fiction. From my strictly amateur standpoint, the formation of planets under such conditions seems even less likely, but given the nature of the whole system, as Terry Pratchett might say, reality seems to be stretched a bit thin there. Why not planets? @Beth, I was about to say that they’re not just close, four stars within the orbit of Jupiter is epic Sci Fi close. It’s very cool when you find something in nature that would seem like a nice, but frankly slightly implausible, idea if you read it in a work of fiction.

From my strictly amateur standpoint, the formation of planets under such conditions seems even less likely, but given the nature of the whole system, as Terry Pratchett might say, reality seems to be stretched a bit thin there. Why not planets?

]]> By: Beth http://www.starstryder.com/2008/01/10/4-stars-within-6-au/comment-page-1/#comment-22789 Beth Fri, 11 Jan 2008 15:18:18 +0000 http://www.starstryder.com/2008/01/10/4-stars-within-6-au/#comment-22789 This system sounds like it could be similar to the one in Asimov's Nightfall. It had six stars. You mentioned that book in the globular cluster podcast. Great book. There's the original story and then longer book with Silverberg. The Wikipedia entry (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nightfall_%28Asimov_short_story%29) summarizes the astronomy. Could there be planets in such a system? Could they orbit the whole bunch of stars? Could they have stable orbits around a pair? There seem to be so many intriguing questions here. Also, the female scientist in me is pleased to see so many female researchers presenting. This system sounds like it could be similar to the one in Asimov’s Nightfall. It had six stars. You mentioned that book in the globular cluster podcast. Great book. There’s the original story and then longer book with Silverberg. The Wikipedia entry (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nightfall_%28Asimov_short_story%29) summarizes the astronomy.

Could there be planets in such a system? Could they orbit the whole bunch of stars? Could they have stable orbits around a pair? There seem to be so many intriguing questions here.

Also, the female scientist in me is pleased to see so many female researchers presenting.

]]> By: Richard B. Drumm http://www.starstryder.com/2008/01/10/4-stars-within-6-au/comment-page-1/#comment-22788 Richard B. Drumm Fri, 11 Jan 2008 14:39:04 +0000 http://www.starstryder.com/2008/01/10/4-stars-within-6-au/#comment-22788 I have to wonder about the accretion disk these stars formed from... -THAT- would have been a crowded house to be sure! Would love to know if there are any planets there... Rich I have to wonder about the accretion disk these stars formed from…
-THAT- would have been a crowded house to be sure!
Would love to know if there are any planets there…
Rich

]]> By: Freiddie http://www.starstryder.com/2008/01/10/4-stars-within-6-au/comment-page-1/#comment-22780 Freiddie Fri, 11 Jan 2008 01:07:49 +0000 http://www.starstryder.com/2008/01/10/4-stars-within-6-au/#comment-22780 That's very close. That’s very close.

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