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Tatooine's Double-Sunset a Common Sight

Posted by Zonk on from the double-shadows-means-twice-as-scary dept.

anthemaniac writes "Thirty years ago, Luke Skywalker beheld something that scientists are just now realizing is likely quite common in the universe: double sunsets. Astronomers have long known that binary star systems are common. And models suggested that planets could form in these systems, even though there's a double-tug of gravity on the material that would have to form a planet. Observations from NASA's Spitzer telescope, show that binary systems are just as likely to be surrounded by planet-forming debris disks are are lone stars."

13 of 132 comments (clear)

  1. This just in by Clever7Devil · · Score: 2, Funny

    Quantum systems also likely to be surrounded by debris.

    --
    "By the time they had diminished from 50 to 8, the other dwarves began to suspect 'Hungry.'" -Gary Larson
  2. Force, not tug by 140Mandak262Jamuna · · Score: 2, Funny

    It is the FORCE of gravity, not tug. Not when you are talkin' about the Pod Race Capital of the universe. At a stretch you could call the Millenium Falcon a tug, but not what gravity exerts.

    --
    sed -e 's/Chuck Norris/Rajnikant/g' joke > fact
    1. Re:Force, not tug by winkydink · · Score: 2, Funny

      Seems to me like somebody is feeling the tug of pedantry.

      --

      "I'd rather be a lightning rod than a seismometer." -Ken Kesey

  3. Great by eviloverlordx · · Score: 4, Funny

    More places for hives of scum and villainy!

    --
    'Loose' is when your pants are three sizes too big. 'Lose' is when you misuse 'loose'.
  4. I love this movie! by blhack · · Score: 2, Funny

    Any k-paxian could have told you this.
    its common knowledge to them.

    --
    NewslilySocial News. No lolcats allowed.
  5. It wasn't thirty years ago... by xxxJonBoyxxx · · Score: 5, Funny

    Thirty years ago, Luke Skywalker beheld something that scientists are just now realizing is likely quite common in the universe: double sunsets.


    Luke didn't see the sunset thirty years ago - he saw it "A Long Long Time Ago (in a Galaxy Far Far Away)..."

    I can't believe I'm posting to a Star Wars item...feel like I need to take a shower now.
    1. Re:It wasn't thirty years ago... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      It's one "long" and two "far"s...you sir are a disgrace!

  6. Two is Better than One by AaxelB · · Score: 5, Funny

    Trilling and his team looked for disks in 69 binary systems between 50 and 200 light-years away from Earth. All the stars are more massive and younger than our middle-aged Sun.
    Better endowed and younger, eh? And you can have two at once? Maybe we'd better rethink our exclusive orbit with our Sun... After all, we just keep going in circles.
  7. Why do we have to drag Republicans into this? by xxxJonBoyxxx · · Score: 4, Funny

    hives of scum and villainy

    Why do we have to drag the White House into every science discussion we have on SlashDot?
  8. In other space news... by bluemonq · · Score: 2, Funny

    ...scientists have come to the conclusion that *that's* no moon.

  9. doubles common by rubycodez · · Score: 2, Funny

    right, binary star systems no big deal and they could have planets. But those trinary systems, that's a whole different matter, every 22 years the habitable planets around them really, really suck. Unless you're a darkness loving carnivorous boogey-creature, then it's happy hour.

  10. Re:Defenders of the Indefensible by geekoid · · Score: 2, Funny

    "...20 years to build the Deathstar ..."
    Haliburton.

    "Luke found Leia such a "Turn-me-on Hot Chicky Mamma ooooh yeah""

    Let's see:
    Teenager, in a small confined space with 2 droids, a wookie, and old man, a pirate and a princess.

    It was either the princess or the pirate.

    --
    The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
  11. Re:Lagrangian by Hognoxious · · Score: 2, Funny

    Yes, but only during the day.

    --
    Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."