The Rare Exoplanet with a Double Sunset

Discovery News ^ | Thursday, October 21, 2010 | Ian O'Neill

[Praxeologue]

Thank you. Figure 10 in the .pdf gave me pause, though.

[BenKenobi]

Ever play with one of these?

http://shop.ebay.ca/i.html?_nkw=spirograph+toy&_armrs=1&_dmd=2&_from=&_ipg=

It’s secret math. These orbits work the same way as these spirographs do.

[rdl6989]

figure 8

That's what I wonder.

[Larry Lucido]

It spend weekends and holidays with the daddy star.

[NYFreeper]

I was thinking the same thing.

[Praxeologue]

My guess would be that the spiral results from the over-rotation of the satellite. For example, the earth may have a very slight spiral in its orbit relative to the sun, but our moon would not, relative to earth.

[Vaduz]

I know people here who see the same thing after dipping beak to long.

[GeronL]

lol

[GeronL]

thanks

[KevinDavis]

[Vaquero]

It has been put forth that a binary/trinary system would wreak havoc on life forming on a rocky planet...it looks like alpha centuriAB and proxima centuri would be a wash for habitability.

[wastedyears]

Especially if a planet would have a figure 8 orbit. Being that close to any sun, especially two of them, would sanitize the surface, snuffing out most if not all life.