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A binary system is a system of two astronomical bodies of the same kind that are comparable in size. Definitions vary, but typically require the center of mass to be located outside of either object.
A binary star or binary star system is a system of two stars that are gravitationally bound to and in orbit around each other. Binary stars in the night sky that are seen as a single object to the naked eye are often resolved as separate stars using a telescope , in which case they are called visual binaries .
In astronomy, a contact binary is a binary star system whose component stars are so close that they touch each other or have merged to share their gaseous envelopes. A binary system whose stars share an envelope may also be called an overcontact binary. [1] [2] The term "contact binary" was introduced by astronomer Gerard Kuiper in 1941. [3]
In astronomy, the binary mass function or simply mass function is a function that constrains the mass of the unseen component (typically a star or exoplanet) in a single-lined spectroscopic binary star or in a planetary system.
Visual comparison of the sizes of Earth and the Moon (above right) and Pluto–Charon (below right). In astronomy, a double planet (also binary planet) is a binary satellite system where both objects are planets, or planetary-mass objects, and whose joint barycenter is external to both planetary bodies.
In astronomy, a common envelope (CE) is gas that contains a binary star system. [1] The gas does not rotate at the same rate as the embedded binary system. A system with such a configuration is said to be in a common envelope phase or undergoing common envelope evolution.
An intermediate-mass X-ray binary (IMXB) is a binary star system where one of the components is a neutron star or a black hole. The other component is an intermediate-mass star. [13] [14] An intermediate-mass X-ray binary is the origin for Low-mass X-ray binary systems.
A symbiotic binary is a type of binary star system, often simply called a symbiotic star. They usually contain a white dwarf with a companion red giant . The cool giant star loses material via Roche lobe overflow or through its stellar wind , which flows onto the hot compact star, usually via an accretion disk .