Binary Stars Form Lots Of Exoplanets, But Many Of Them Are Ejected As Rogue Planets

This artist's illustration shows a binary star system. While astronomers thought for a long time that planets would struggle to form in these systems, that may not be true. New research says that the opposite is likely true. Image Credit: Casey Reed, NASA.

Binary stars are common, but for a long time astronomers have thought that exoplanets would have trouble forming around them. In recent years, powerful telescopes have detected about 50 of these planets. Now, new simulations show that their formation isn't actually rare, it's just that they tend to be on wide orbits, with few opportunities to observe transits. Also, many of them are ejected and become rogue planets.

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