The discussion centers on the existence of the Nemesis star, a hypothesized companion to the Sun. Participants assert that the Nemesis hypothesis, which originated in the 1980s, is now considered obsolete by contemporary scientists. Key arguments against its existence include the lack of detection despite advanced astronomical tools and the possibility that any historical companion star may have left the Solar System over 4 billion years ago. The conversation highlights the challenges in detecting very dim celestial bodies and the dynamics of star formation in open clusters.
PREREQUISITESAstronomers, astrophysicists, and science enthusiasts interested in stellar dynamics, the history of celestial hypotheses, and the methods used to detect distant stars.
Indeed. Stellar nurseries often form dozens, hundreds, or thousands of stars in a confined area. It would be no surprise if the Sun had a close companion that was lost shortly after formation. Open star clusters, which is where the Sun likely formed, tend to 'disintegrate' over time.Jupiter60 said:I just had a look at the Wikipedia article on Nemesis. It says that in 2017 that some scientist said that thought that the Sun may have had a companion star in the past, but it left the Solar System more than 4 billion years ago. This is a possibility. The reason why we would not be able to detect the historical companion star is because it is no longer a companion star, but got separated.