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Main Question or Discussion Point
which is the first binary star system discovered ever?
I'd say that's a yes.Xi Ursae Majoris (Xi UMa, ξ Ursae Majoris, ξ UMa) is a star system in the constellation Ursa Major. On May 2, 1780, Sir William Herschel discovered that this was a binary star system, making it the first such system ever discovered.
Those are visual binaries. Some of them have turned out to be real binary stars, but no one actually knew about gravitationally bound binary stars until 1780.but there are ancient records that people identified some stars to be binary....even before gravity was discovered.
Please provide references for this. Especially if you are going to claim the answer you got was wrong.but there are ancient records that people identified some stars to be binary....even before gravity was discovered.
from ancient times it is known in indian astronomy that two stars mizar and alcor is a binary system in big dipper asterism.
Yes, but they didn't know it was an actual binary star at the time. And by "actual" I mean two stars gravitationally bound to each other.it is probably the most ancient and first of its kind discovered in sky by early astronomers
Alcor and Mizar have been known as a visual double since before antiquity.I dont know the answer, i suggested alcor and mizar because it was observed before william herschel discovered other binaries.I think they were first visual binaries ever discovered.
I don't see how. They are WAAAY too far apart for their orbital motion around each other to be noticeable over a few thousand years. Especially before the invention of the telescope in the 1600's. It's likely that any reference to them moving around each other is based on something other than visual observation.But there proper motion was also studied by ancient indians.
Information from Ancient Aliens?It's likely that any reference to them moving around each other is based on something other than visual observation.