Have not got the link but was in the new scientist web site?

Question

If some planets have two suns as is suggested, Is it true to say that the planet would be effected (gravity) by both suns and perform a figure eight around both sun's. and what would the effect of anyone living on the planets be, Please be realistic in your answers!!!!!!!!

Answer 1

Check out this link on the topic:

http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/ask_as...

and this has some more info:

http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/05...

and here's an article on an actual observation of a planet in a binary system:

http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0210/11p...

Basically a figure 8 orbit would be unstable, so planets could be ejected. Much more likely is an orbit around both stars with the stars are close, or an orbit in which the planet essential orbits one of the stars, with the other star orbiting the first star (sort of)...

Answer 2

It would be erratic at best I would guess, Like heavy tides (water majorly rising)

off topic, is it me or is New Scientist a bit pap?  

Answer 3

A figure 8 is just about feasible, but more likely to be orbiting one sun in a highly eccentric ellipse.

The planet would be orbiting the common centre of gravity, you see. So it would depend on the comparative masses of the suns. Possibly the CoG will be inside the larger of the two.

Answer 4

I doubt it, it just means that the sun that has the stronger pull will have the planet orbiting it, having said that the other sun will obviously have a major effect on that orbit. depends on how close to the suns that the planet is, could it even have life, if it does they would probably have developed some sort of resistance to the amount of radiation pouring in on top of them, they might have no night because the suns are on different sides of the planet, which would effect life as we know it in a big way, both suns could be on the same side of the planet at the same time and the temp would get pretty hot at midday, This is all speculation of course as life as we know it could not have evolved with two suns! Our model is the only proven one, one sun, a certain distance from it...a planet and a moon a certain distance around that.