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The dwarf planet Pluto and its moon Charon are often described as a binary system in the Solar System, which orbit the Sun Main article: Binary asteroid When binary minor planets are similar in size, they may be called " binary companions " instead of referring to the smaller body as a satellite. [ 3 ]
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 barycenter is external to both planetary bodies.
Planets that orbit just one star in a binary pair are said to have "S-type" orbits, whereas those that orbit around both stars have "P-type" or "circumbinary" orbits. It is estimated that 50–60% of binary stars are capable of supporting habitable terrestrial planets within stable orbital ranges.
In the Trigun series, the planet orbits a binary star system. In the Star Wars series, the planet Tatooine orbits in a close binary system. In the series Doctor Who, a binary system with such a planet is featured in The Chase. "Gridlock" also depicts the planet Gallifrey as in a binary system, but possibly in a non-circumbinary orbit. [69]
More than one hundred planets have been discovered orbiting one member of a binary star system (e.g. 55 Cancri, possibly Alpha Centauri Bb), [28] and several circumbinary planets have been discovered which orbit around both members of a binary star (e.g. PSR B1620-26 b, Kepler-16b).
An artist's rendition of Kepler-62f, a potentially habitable exoplanet discovered using data transmitted by the Kepler space telescope. The list of exoplanets detected by the Kepler space telescope contains bodies with a wide variety of properties, with significant ranges in orbital distances, masses, radii, composition, habitability, and host star type.
Planets whose orbits lie within the orbit of Earth. [nb 1] Mercury and Venus: Inner planet: A planet in the Solar System that have orbits smaller than the asteroid belt. [nb 2] Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars: Outer planet: A planet in the Solar System beyond the asteroid belt, and hence refers to the gas giants. Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune ...
Kepler-47 is the first circumbinary multi-planet system discovered by the Kepler mission. [5] The outermost of the planets is a gas giant orbiting within the habitable zone of the stars. [6] Because most stars are binary, the discovery that multi-planet systems can form in such a system has impacted previous theories of planetary formation. [7] [5]