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Could a planet in a binary system with two G-type stars be habitable?
In "Star Wars", the planet Tatooine is depicted as being in a star system with two G-type stars similar to the Sun.
Ignoring all considerations of what is probable, is it possible for a planet in such a system to be continuously habitable? What kind of orbital configuration would be needed to make this work?
Note that I'm not asking if life could develop naturally on such a planet; I'm more interested in whether life evolving somewhere else could make use of it.
1 Answer
- campbelp2002Lv 71 decade agoFavorite Answer
I had an astronomy teacher tell me no to that question long ago, but since then new research has reversed that old opinion. If the two stars orbit each other closely enough, stable orbits around the pair at the right distance to be habitable (meaning not too hot or too cold) might be possible. The distance between the two stars would have to be much much smaller than the radius of the planet orbit. This is exactly what is depicted in Star Wars when they show the double sunset on Tatooine.
