Searching for Sister Stars in Our Multistar System with Infrared Telescopes

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In summary, the conversation discusses the possibility of our multi-stellar system having sister stars that are within the Oort Cloud and can be detected through the presence of 'cold' Jupiters and potential life. The discussion also mentions the possibility of a brown dwarf being a member of such a system and the idea of conducting an all infrared sky survey to gather more data. However, it is noted that the galaxy does not rotate as a solid disc and the stars in the arms mix and jostle around. The conversation also brings up the idea of using radio signals and spectroscopy to potentially detect life on these sister star systems.
  • #1
cph
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Our multi-stellar system?

Most stars form in multiples. Where are our sister stars? All of such sisters should be of somewhat similar mass, main sequence, and hence not supernova material; perhaps harboring life, and even culture? Such sisters must not be so far off. Hence might they be detectable by looking for 'cold' Jupiters? Use an infrared telescope to evaluate the luminosity and size of such gas giants, and through comparison, see if any are close. Such star(s) should be much less than 1 light year, and hence within the Oort Cloud. Thus if such sister stars are within our Oort Cloud, it would seem then to be a distorted cloud, common to such multiple star systems.
 
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  • #2
Sorry to burst the bubble, but, no companion star. Gravitational effects would be very pronounced on planetary orbits.
 
  • #3
cph said:
Our multi-stellar system?

Most stars form in multiples. Where are our sister stars? All of such sisters should be of somewhat similar mass, main sequence, and hence not supernova material; perhaps harboring life, and even culture? Such sisters must not be so far off. Hence might they be detectable by looking for 'cold' Jupiters? Use an infrared telescope to evaluate the luminosity and size of such gas giants, and through comparison, see if any are close. Such star(s) should be much less than 1 light year, and hence within the Oort Cloud. Thus if such sister stars are within our Oort Cloud, it would seem then to be a distorted cloud, common to such multiple star systems.

http://chandra.harvard.edu/xray_sources/binary_stars.html" do not have as a rule, similar mass for each of the stars.
 
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  • #4
cph said:
Our multi-stellar system?

Most stars form in multiples. Where are our sister stars? All of such sisters should be of somewhat similar mass, main sequence, and hence not supernova material; perhaps harboring life, and even culture? Such sisters must not be so far off. Hence might they be detectable by looking for 'cold' Jupiters? Use an infrared telescope to evaluate the luminosity and size of such gas giants, and through comparison, see if any are close. Such star(s) should be much less than 1 light year, and hence within the Oort Cloud. Thus if such sister stars are within our Oort Cloud, it would seem then to be a distorted cloud, common to such multiple star systems.

Might a brown dwarf be a member of such considered multiplex for inside common Oort Cloud?
 
  • #5
cph said:
Might a brown dwarf be a member of such considered multiplex for inside common Oort Cloud?

As Chronos stated, the gravitational effects would be very pronounced on planetary orbits.
 
  • #6
cph said:
Our multi-stellar system?

Most stars form in multiples. Where are our sister stars? All of such sisters should be of somewhat similar mass, main sequence, and hence not supernova material; perhaps harboring life, and even culture? Such sisters must not be so far off. Hence might they be detectable by looking for 'cold' Jupiters? Use an infrared telescope to evaluate the luminosity and size of such gas giants, and through comparison, see if any are close. Such star(s) should be much less than 1 light year, and hence within the Oort Cloud. Thus if such sister stars are within our Oort Cloud, it would seem then to be a distorted cloud, common to such multiple star systems.

Might one also include an all infrared sky survey, looking for gas giants in general of other star systems? Thus building up a data set, and hence ascertaining how typical our system might be.
 
  • #8
Thank you Ich, was going to say that there was a story about that a while back in Sci-Am or NS.

The galaxy doesn't turn as a solid disc, it only has a rotational profile like one, the stars in the arms mix and jostle around over the timescales we're talking about.
 
  • #9
Our multi-stellar system? updated

Most stars form in multiples. Where are our sister stars? All of such sisters should be of somewhat similar mass, main sequence; but empirically perhaps 1 supernova. Such sisters must not be so far off. Hence might they be detectable by looking for 'cold' Jupiters? Use a dedicated infrared telescope to evaluate the luminosity and size of such gas giants, and through comparison, see if any are close. Such star(s) should be much less than 1 light year away, and hence within the common Oort Cloud. Thus if such sister stars are within our Oort Cloud, would it seem then to be a distorted cloud, common to such multiple star systems? However such set of sister stars would have a center of mass, and in accordance with a central force, a spherical distributed common Oort cloud of cometary material. Hence overlapping gravitational fields for such set of sister stars. Also if terrestrials are detected, then perhaps spectroscopically look for the atmospheric oxygen signature of photosynthesis. Also perhaps radio attention might be of interest for such near by sister star systems.
 
  • #10
Why are you repeating your starting point? The forum is about dialogue, not monologue.
 

1. What is the purpose of searching for sister stars in our multistar system with infrared telescopes?

The purpose of this research is to better understand the formation and evolution of our multistar system by identifying and studying other stars that may have formed from the same molecular cloud as our own Sun.

2. What is the significance of using infrared telescopes for this study?

Infrared telescopes are able to detect radiation at longer wavelengths than visible light, allowing us to see cooler objects that may be hidden from traditional optical telescopes. This is important in identifying sister stars that may be faint or obscured by dust in our multistar system.

3. How do scientists determine if a star is a sister star to our Sun?

Scientists use various methods such as comparing the chemical composition, age, and distance of stars to determine if they formed from the same molecular cloud as our Sun. Infrared telescopes also play a crucial role in this process by helping to identify stars with similar infrared spectra to our Sun.

4. What can we learn from studying sister stars in our multistar system?

By studying sister stars, we can gain insights into the conditions and processes that led to the formation of our own Sun and its planets. This can help us understand the likelihood of finding habitable planets around other stars and the potential for extraterrestrial life.

5. How does this research contribute to our overall understanding of the universe?

Studying sister stars in our multistar system is a small piece of a larger puzzle in understanding the formation and evolution of our universe. By gaining a better understanding of our own solar system, we can apply this knowledge to other systems and expand our understanding of the diversity and complexity of the universe.

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