Can you imagine if the Earth were orbiting two stars instead of just the Sun? Our solar system would then become a binary solar system and, if science fiction books and movies are to be believed, the weather would be pretty hot. You may remember how a dusty, desert planet called Tatooine from the Star Wars movies orbited two stars. While we may not have two Suns in our solar system, other binary systems with fascinating magnetic activities do exist outside of science fiction and pop culture. Scientists estimate one-third of the stars in the Milky Way Galaxy are in binary systems.
Binary Systems
A binary system occurs when two objects in space such as stars, planets, or even galaxies are so close together and similar in size they orbit the same spot. A binary system doesn’t have to have twin stars like the Sun orbiting around each other. In fact, some even argue the small planet Pluto is part of a binary system with its largest satellite Charon.
Epsilon Lupi
While fewer than two percent of massive of stars in binary systems have magnetic fields, a recent discovery of two massive stars in possession of strong magnetic fields yielded much excitement in the astronomy community. A Canadian PhD student Matt Shultz discovered the magnetism of the binary system Epsilon Lupi. Researchers already knew the system was binary but they hadn’t realized the two massive stars possessed magnetic fields. Shultz discovered the magnetic properties of the system as a member of the Binary and Magnetic Interactions in various classes of Stars (BinaMIcS) consortium. Epsilon Lupi is estimated to have 6000 times the brightness as the Sun and each star has about seven times the mass of the Sun. These massive stars, however, don’t seem to generate a magnetic field in the same way as the Sun. In fact, 10 percent of massive stars have magnetic fields and it’s a mystery as to how they’re generated. The stars of the Epsilon Lupi system demonstrate an interesting interaction between magnetic fields. The poles are aligned so one planet’s north pole faces the same direction as the other planet’s south pole. The magnetic discovery of the Epsilon Lupi system will hopefully shed light on how astronomers understand the magnetic fields of large stars as well as the interactions of the magnetospheres of binary systems. For more information about magnetism and our solar system check out our previous blog post.
