Would life be just as likley in a multiple star system as a single star system?

Question

Most stars discovered have at least one companion star. In my mind this would only detriment the development of life throughout the cosmos as more stars in one system of varying degrees in size would make the system that less stable.

For example: lets say Alpha centauri has a planet that develops life after a billion years, but proxima centauri swings in closer for a short time evaporating all the planets oceans and extinguishing life.

Answer 1

In a multi-star system with stable orbits, life should be possible.  The star will either need to be far enough apart that the "habitable zone" (temperatures in the range for liquid water) is not unduly tampered by the other star, or close enough that the "habitable zone" is around the mutual center-of-gravity instead of one sun or the other.

With the Alpha Centauri system, both stars could have stable planetary systems up to the equivalent of Mars in ours without undue interference from the other star.

Answer 2

It would be possible, but there would have to be severe adaptation for every close pass.

Also, the gravitational effects of the companion stars would make it hard for one star to form planets. The accretion disc would most likely be ripped apart before planets could form.

Answer 3

It is probably a mistake to assume that life requires exactly the same conditions as the Earth.  Multiple stars would seem less likely as candidates for life but it probably depends on their orbits.  If they are stable and close to circular, I don't see any reason it wouldn't act very much like our solar system. If you had a Jupiter large enough to be a sun, it wouldn't affect us much this far away and might even be a better system.

Answer 4

Single celled life is remarkably hardy, and will survive absurd abuse. Boiling the oceans may not be enough.  But higher life forms like us are delicate.  So if every 100 million or billion years an event takes place that shoots life back into the stone age, that could put a damper on progress.

Jupiter sized planets orbiting Alpha Centauri should be visible from Earth.  I know there was a plan to look.  I don't recall hearing that any were found.