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Oh my five suns. ;) >The pair of stars orbit around a mutual centre of gravity, but are separated by more than the distance of Pluto's orbit around the Sun. B

Oh my five suns. ;) >The pair of stars orbit around a mutual centre of gravity, but are separated by more than the distance of Pluto's orbit around the Sun. But what could they be orbiting around?

nitrogen 11y ago
> But what could they be orbiting around? >> a mutual centre of gravity The math of gravity is fascinating. Objects can orbit each other, with nothing in the middle.
- jeremysmyth 11y ago
  You think that's good, try this: Objects can even orbit interesting points in space that are not themselves centers of gravity: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lagrangian_point https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lagrangian_point
  - Rexxar 11y ago
    This is linked to orbit around Lagrangian points but it's more surprising: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horseshoe_orbit https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horseshoe_orbit
    - escherplex 11y ago
      By extension it could be interesting to model the Lagrange-point space topology within this system and probe what object forms might have assembled themselves within the equivalent of L4 and L5 points. Of course, intense mutual solar winds would mitigate against that happening.
mixmastamyk 11y ago
Their center of gravity, say about here: o O---------------o ^ Pluto and Charon do it as well, even Earth and Moon to a small degree.
- pluma 11y ago
  I've actually heard someone argue that because of this the moon is actually not a moon but our sister planet.
  - rimunroe 11y ago
    All orbits go around a common center of mass which is not the center of mass of the orbiting bodies separately. The Earth-Moon center of mass is still located within the Earth. [edit] I forgot to mention that the distinction between a satellite/moon and another co-orbiting body had to do with the location of that barycenter being within one of their bodies, if I recall correctly.
- mixmastamyk 11y ago
  http://www.abc.net.au/cm/lb/6605566/data/jupiter-and-io-taken-by-new-horizons-in-2007-data.gif http://www.abc.net.au/cm/lb/6605566/data/jupiter-and-io-take...

Oh my five suns. ;) >The pair of stars orbit around a mutual centre of gravity, but are separated by more than the distance of Pluto's orbit around the Sun. But what could they be orbiting around?

nitrogen 11y ago

> But what could they be orbiting around? >> a mutual centre of gravity The math of gravity is fascinating. Objects can orbit each other, with nothing in the middle.

jeremysmyth 11y ago
You think that's good, try this: Objects can even orbit interesting points in space that are not themselves centers of gravity: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lagrangian_point https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lagrangian_point
- Rexxar 11y ago
  This is linked to orbit around Lagrangian points but it's more surprising: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horseshoe_orbit https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horseshoe_orbit
  - escherplex 11y ago
    By extension it could be interesting to model the Lagrange-point space topology within this system and probe what object forms might have assembled themselves within the equivalent of L4 and L5 points. Of course, intense mutual solar winds would mitigate against that happening.

mixmastamyk 11y ago

Their center of gravity, say about here: o O---------------o ^ Pluto and Charon do it as well, even Earth and Moon to a small degree.

pluma 11y ago
I've actually heard someone argue that because of this the moon is actually not a moon but our sister planet.
- rimunroe 11y ago
  All orbits go around a common center of mass which is not the center of mass of the orbiting bodies separately. The Earth-Moon center of mass is still located within the Earth. [edit] I forgot to mention that the distinction between a satellite/moon and another co-orbiting body had to do with the location of that barycenter being within one of their bodies, if I recall correctly.
mixmastamyk 11y ago
http://www.abc.net.au/cm/lb/6605566/data/jupiter-and-io-taken-by-new-horizons-in-2007-data.gif http://www.abc.net.au/cm/lb/6605566/data/jupiter-and-io-take...