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A multiple star system consists of two or more stars that appear from Earth to be close to one another in the sky. [dubious – discuss] This may result from the stars actually being physically close and gravitationally bound to each other, in which case it is a physical multiple star, or this closeness may be merely apparent, in which case it is an optical multiple star [a] Physical multiple ...
This category is for physical multiple stars, i.e., small groups of three or more close stars gravitationally bound to each other. Optical companions (stars that appear to be close together but are physically unrelated) do not count. Star systems placed here should be categorized by their number of components.
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 .
This category contains articles about star systems, which are groups of two or more gravitationally-bound stars in a region usually smaller than one light-year. Star clusters (groups of many more stars that occupy a much larger region) are listed in Category:Star clusters .
Triple stars should be placed under the subcategory Triple stars. If a group of four or more stars are physically close and gravitationally bound, it is a physical multiple star and should be placed under the subcategory Multiple star systems. Multiple stars should be categorized by their number of components.
The evolution of binary star and higher-order star systems is intensely researched since so many stars have been found to be members of binary systems. Around half of Sun-like stars, and an even higher proportion of more massive stars, form in multiple systems, and this may greatly influence such phenomena as novae and supernovae, the formation ...
In a binary system, the brighter or more massive object is referred to as primary, and the other the secondary. Binary stars are also classified based on orbit. Wide binaries are objects with orbits that keep them apart from one another. They evolve separately and have very little effect on each other.
The stars with the most confirmed planets are the Sun (the Solar System's star) and Kepler-90, with 8 confirmed planets each, followed by TRAPPIST-1 with 7 planets. The 1,033 multiplanetary systems are listed below according to the star's distance from Earth. Proxima Centauri, the closest star to the Solar System, has three planets (b, c and d).