Slashdot Mirror
Nemesis, the Sun's Binary Star Companion?
0xC2 writes "The Binary Companion or 'Nemesis' theory asserts that a yet-to-be discovered companion to our Sun may actually exist. Recent observations of two nearby stars (assumed companions) show debris disks 'strikingly like the Kuiper Belt int the outer part of our Solar System'. The Binary Research Institute site is devoted to the theory, and presents a concise introduction, list of evidence, and sample calculations in support of the theory. A fascinating read, although the physics and related calculations are not trivial." Has the 'unique theory on the internet' vibe to it, but interesting nonetheless.
Not funny. Not. Funny. It's Not. Sorry.
Hey, I'm just your average shit and piss factory.
Well, he isn't the only one who doesn't have a basic grasp of astrophysics. A orbital distance of 1AU will only yield a 1 year orbit if the mass of one of the objects is negligable compared to the other. Since the consideration here is something on the scale of a Brown Dwarf (3-5% of the mass of the Sun), the lesser mass cannot be neglected in the calculation of the Reduced Mass (which is used to solve the Two-Body Problem). The rotation period does depend on both of the bodies because they work into the reduced mass.