[net.physics] Multiple-Sun Soloar Systems?

knudsen (04/02/83)

(This is a semi-repeat of an earlier posting; we had some
netnews troubles here).  What are the possibilities of 
suns-&-planets systems where there are two or more suns?
Can there be stable planetary orbits around binary starts?
Can there be ternary, N-ary, ... stars?
Can you have systems where a planet's inhabitants experience
total darkness only once per 1000 years (define years),
ie, the suns never all set.... ?
Given the latest Voyager discoveries about Jupiter's and Saturn's
moons and their interactions, almost nothing would surprise me now.
To get something like "The Dark Crystal" planet you really should
have the suns go around the planet, but that's about 500 years
obsolete, tho could be done with a VERY massive planet and dwarf stars,
I guess.

Any takers?
	mike k

bhayes (04/05/83)

#R:ihnss:-149400:sri-unix:12900001:000:208
sri-unix!bhayes    Apr  4 21:33:00 1983

Hmm...  How about a binary star with planets at L4 and L5?  Shouldn't
be any problems...  Days are twice as long as nights, you could have
several planets in orbit at each point.  
 -barry
   bhayes@sri-unix