What is a binary star

Question

And does it have to be a mass with the same characteristics. What I mean by that is lets say our Sun was a binary star, then would its "twin" star also be a hot mass like our own sun, or would it be more likley a mass of energy or ice "star". I guess my understanding would be that a binary system has two oppostie kinds of "stars" that contribute to eachothers development and evolution by contributing two different things.

Answer 1

Hello Dan:

No. A Binary Star is two stars which are linked in an eternal dance around and around each other due to their close proximity to one

another, just like planets circle our star, the Sun. There can never be any ice material on a star whose surface temperature is over 10,000 Degrees F with a hugely hot central core where the fusion is taking place. Yes there is immense energy but it is being formed by the

fusion process that makes the object a "star."

There are also Triplets and Clusters where more than one star are closely associated with one another. In the Clusters the stars are so densely packed that it is very difficult to tell just how many there are in there.

Answer 2

All the above are great answers and absolutely correct.  A binary star system can be any number of things.  Volume, mass, age, temperature and life cycle of a star have no influence on whether or not a star is part of a binary system.  If two stars or any combination of each orbit each other...then it is a binary system (stars, white dwarfs, neutron stars and black holes).  There is a very popular binary system known as Cygnus X-1.  It is a blue giant star  and a black hole that orbit each other.  We can't see the black hole directly but we can see that matter is being stripped away from the star and being consumed by an object that emits no visible light.  Strange thing is the black hole emits incredible amounts of x-rays which is given off by intense heat not unsimilar to temperatures in the absolute core of a star.  These x-rays are given off by the matter that is superheated by the black hole just outside its event horizon or the point of no return in which not even light can escape.

Our star is a bit uncommon in our galaxy because it is not part of a binary system.  Most stars in the Milky Way and all galaxies are part of a binary or possibly a trinary system.  I hope this helps answer your question.  Goodluck!

Answer 3

The two stars comprising a binary system can be anything star-like. In some cases one is much larger than the other, in some cases they are about the same size. The distance between them can have a very wide range. There is one bizarre case in which one star of a very close pair is pulling matter out of the other.

"Mass of energy or ice star" is a bunch of meaningless terms. So is the rest of the speculation.

Answer 4

Two stars that orbit at a common center of gravity.

Answer 5

(trumpet fanfare) Time for Logic's Logic - great answers to all

A binary star is, as already stated, two stars revolving about a common center.

In the astronomy world there are two types of binariess, actual and visual. Two stars that appear to be together from our viewpoint but actually far apart with the distance being along the line of sight.

Answer 6

A binary star is actually two stars, that orbit each other closely.

Answer 7

In a nutshell.. It's a system of two stars rotating each other.. or the smaller star rotating bigger star..