Astronomy Answers: Universe Family Tree: Star System

Astronomy Answers
Universe Family Tree: Star System


[Astronomy Answers] [Dictionary] [AnswerBook] [Universe Family Tree] [Science] [Starry Sky] [Planet Positions] [Calculate] [Colophon]

\(\def\|{&}\DeclareMathOperator{\D}{\bigtriangleup\!} \DeclareMathOperator{\d}{\text{d}\!}\)

  ┌──
Star
Type
: 
Star Cluster
─── 
Star System
──┼──
Planetary System
       :                
  ├──
Dwarf Planet
       :                
  ├──
Asteroid
       :                
  ├──
Comet
       :                
  └──
Interplanetary Medium
Singular Star System
Multiple Star System
Double Star
Size
: 
5 kpc
─── 
50,000 AU
─────
0.1 AU
Earth
: 
(none)
─── 
the Solar System
─────
the Earth System

A star system or stellar system is a group of one or more stars and accompanying planets and other small stuff that are bound together by gravity and so orbit around one another.

Many stellar systems feature more than one star: Those are are binary stars or multiple stars. Such stellar systems can probably only hold on to planets if the planets are in orbits that are either much closer to one star than to the others, or much further from any star than the stars are from one another.



[AA]

[Tree][Star Cluster][Planetary System]


languages: [en] [nl]

//aa.quae.nl/en/boom/sterrenstelsel.html;
Last updated: 2021-07-19