The sun may have started its life with a binary companion

Pixel42

Schrödinger's cat
Pixel42
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I thought this was interesting.

https://phys.org/news/2020-08-sun-life-binary-companion.html

A new theory published today in the Astrophysical Journal Letters by scientists from Harvard University suggests that the sun may once have had a binary companion of similar mass. If confirmed, the presence of an early stellar companion increases the likelihood that the Oort cloud was formed as observed and that Planet Nine was captured rather than formed within the solar system.
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I know the Sun is unusual in being a solitary star, so this would make sense.
 
I wonder if there is any chance that one of the two stars thought to be the sun's "siblings" (HD162826 and HD 186302) might be that lost binary partner?
 
Jehovah would never would have allowed such abominable behaviour! To even think that one of his creations would become bi...Oh, binary...sorry! Carry on.
 
I wonder how the twin left the sun. It probably was slightly beyond the orb cloud, so a passing star could rip it away. It could be almost anywhere in the milky way now.
 
Let's just hope it isn't a trial separation and they decide to get back together.


I watched a video where the scientists were speculating about planet IX. They said if it was out there, we should find Ort objects in very particular orbits. Then they found objects in just those orbits. The also said IX could have been stolen from another star that came too close.
 
Seems speculative to me, but I don't really know anything. They say it could be anywhere in the whole Milky Way galaxy by now. But what would have ripped it away? Currently the nearest star is over 4 light years away, but I wonder since the earth is over 4 billion years old how often there have been close approaches by other stars in the past. And how close anyway? Less than a light year? Somewhere beyond the orbit of Pluto? Kuiper belt? Oort cloud?

Aren't most other stars in our general part of the galaxy also orbiting the center of the galaxy at about the same speed and direction as we are?
 
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Puppycow said:
Seems speculative to me, but I don't really know anything. They say it could be anywhere in the whole Milky Way galaxy by now. But what would have ripped it away? Currently the nearest star is over 4 light years away, but I wonder since the earth is over 4 billion years old how often there have been close approaches by other stars in the past. And how close anyway? Less than a light year? Somewhere beyond the orbit of Pluto? Kuiper belt? Oort cloud?

Aren't most other stars in our general part of the galaxy also orbiting the center of the galaxy at about the same speed and direction as we are?
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There is likely to be in the future. Gliese 710 will pass as close as 13365 AU (0.21 light years) in about 1.35 MY. Thats "tomorrow" in terms of the earth's age.

https://www.aanda.org/articles/aa/full_html/2016/11/aa29835-16/aa29835-16.html
 
smartcooky said:
There is likely to be in the future. Gliese 710 will pass as close as 13365 AU (0.21 light years) in about 1.35 MY. Thats "tomorrow" in terms of the earth's age.

https://www.aanda.org/articles/aa/full_html/2016/11/aa29835-16/aa29835-16.html
Click to expand...

Interesting. Pluto's orbit at aphelion is a bit less than 50 AU, so that would be 267 times farther away than Pluto. Kinda close but still pretty darn far away. Well, that's a good thing too. We probably shouldn't hope for any other star to come much closer than that I'm sure.
 
Puppycow said:
Interesting. Pluto's orbit at aphelion is a bit less than 50 AU, so that would be 267 times farther away than Pluto. Kinda close but still pretty darn far away. Well, that's a good thing too. We probably shouldn't hope for any other star to come much closer than that I'm sure.
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Nonetheless, on Gliese 710's close pass, it will plunge through the bulk of the Oort cloud, and will likely shower the inner solar system with comets.
 
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