LIVING ON THE REAL LIVING ON THE REAL TTATOOINE ATOOINE

BY ADAM SANTANA

No, Luke Skywalker is still Fictional.

The existence of binary star systems, solar systems with two stars, isn't a new fact, and neither is the notion that these systems could indeed harbor orbiting planets. What was a topic for debate, however, was whether or not those planets were conducive to life.

Revealed at the American Astronomical Society meeting, researchers have reported that simulations have shown earthlike planets could successfully remain in a stable orbit around binary stars for at least a billion years—a long enough duration to allow for the potential of life, so long as other factors, like temperature, remain agreeable. Luckily, of the planets that managed to hold onto their orbits, 15% stayed in the temperate habitable zone.

In these simulations, the researchers ran through about 4,000 different scenarios, each altering variables such as the masses of the stars, as well as the shape and size of both their orbits and the orbit of the planet around them.

These simulations were then observed for up to a billion years of simulated time to monitor the planets' orbits. Of those 4,000, an impressive 500 maintained a stable orbit in the habitable zone for at least 80% of the simulation.

However, as the presenting researcher Michael Pedowitz stated, the definition used in the simulation for the habitable zone was an overly strict one—the planets modeled in the study were void of any atmosphere or oceans, which would ordinarily help stabilize temperature fluctuations, even to the point of aiding a planet in maintaining habitable conditions if it spends more time outside of the so-called "habitable zone," significantly upping the chances of success. The researchers hope to build a more sophisticated model, as well as increase the simulation's duration and include changes in the stars that could alter the star system.