Astronomers Had it Wrong: Most Stars are Single

space.com ^ | 01/30/06 | Ker Than

[KevinDavis]

[manwiththehands]

"One is the loneliest number ..."

[SampleMan]

For more than 200 years, astronomers thought that most of the stars in our galaxy had stellar companions

During that 200 years it "was scientific, irrefutable fact", once it is wrong it is "astronomers thought". This is why I don't hand over my life to the limits of scientific knowledge being passed off as irrefutable.

[July 4th]

the bulk of them are born alone and never have stellar company

That's so sad.

[Verginius Rufus]

It may have been conventional wisdom of late that most stars were double stars or had more than one companion, but I really doubt that astronomers have thought that "for more than 200 years." Sirius is one of the closest stars, and I don't think its companion (the Pup) was detected until the middle or latter part of the 19th century.

[AmishDude]

During that 200 years it "was scientific, irrefutable fact", once it is wrong it is "astronomers thought". This is why I don't hand over my life to the limits of scientific knowledge being passed off as irrefutable.

Ping.

[impatient]

I believe the factor of the Drake Equation that just got multiplied by two is

f
	p

[dangus]

>> During that 200 years it "was scientific, irrefutable fact", once it is wrong it is "astronomers thought". This is why I don't hand over my life to the limits of scientific knowledge being passed off as irrefutable. <<

Whoever said it was irrefutable fact?

[dangus]

And multiplying the Drake Quation by 2 is laughably insignificant... although my first ever shot at estimating the value of the Drake Equation, I got precisely 2... which made me wonder, "us and who else?"

And yes, I am quite aware that given the enormous exponentials in the Drake Equation, it's almost silly to claim getting 2. But I did.

[Tanniker Smith]

Because are the bigger stars keep getting divorced from the smaller stars who aren't in the spotlight?

[dangus]

Hollywood marriages never work out anyway.

[musicman]

"Hollywood marriages never work out anyway.'

...that's because they ain't doin' the Kurt Russell-Goldie Hawn 'thingee"......

[SunkenCiv]

But a new study suggests the bulk of them are born alone and never have stellar company.

I would think that stars form wherever, then wander toward each other to form multi-star systems. Same goes for planetary systems. :')

[SampleMan]

Whoever said it was irrefutable fact?

Astronomers. This is no different than scientists in every community. Mind you I think science is a wonderful thing, I just don't think scientists are as scientific as they should be. Herd mentality rules.

[dangus]

o, I mean you actually tell me where you ever heard it said that it was an irrefutable fact that most stars were binary. Because frankly, it seems like you are merely making garbage up. Any time I've ever heard reference to binary star systems, I've always heard it purely as conjecture.

[jimfree]

Thanks. I was sure somebody would.

[SampleMan]

Let me rephrase for you. Does passed off as irrefutable fact sound better?

Sentences in text books and news articles don't say, "It is irrefutable fact that..." They say, "Most stars are binary systems." "Gobal warming is..." etc.

[SunkenCiv]

This topic from January never got added or pinged, because it was pre-list. :')

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[ZeitgeistSurfer]

I'm sensing discrimination against same magnitude steller binaries. I'm calling the ACLU (Astronomical Civil Liberties Union).