A star system or stellar system is a small number of stars that orbit each other, bound by gravitational attraction. It may sometimes be used to refer to a single star. A large group of stars bound by gravitation is generally called a star cluster or galaxy, although, broadly speaking, they are also star systems. Star systems are not to be confused with planetary systems, which include planets and similar bodies (such as comets).
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👉 Trinary star in the context of Mesarthim
Gamma Arietis is a binary or possibly trinary star system in the northern constellation of Aries. Its name is a Bayer designation that is Latinized from γ Arietis, and abbreviated Gamma Ari or γ Ari. This system is called "The First Star in Aries" as having been at one time the nearest visible star to the equinoctial point. The combined apparent visual magnitude of the stars is 3.86, which is readily visible to the naked eye and makes this the fourth-brightest member of Aries. Based upon parallax measurements, the distance to Gamma Arietis from the Sun is approximately 166 light-years (51 parsecs).
The two components are designated γ Arietis or Gamma Arietis B and γ Arietis or Gamma Arietis A. The latter is formally named Mesarthim, pronounced /mɛˈsɑːrθɪm/, the traditional name for the Gamma Arietis system. γ Arietis may itself be a spectroscopic binary with a low mass companion.
In this Dossier
- ⭐ Core Definition: Trinary star
- 👉 Trinary star in the context of Mesarthim
- Trinary star in the context of T Tauri
Trinary star in the context of T Tauri
T Tauri is a trinary variable star in the constellation Taurus, the prototype of the T Tauri stars. It was discovered in October 1852 by John Russell Hind. T Tauri appears from Earth amongst the Hyades cluster, not far from ε Tauri, but it is actually 318 light-years behind it and not a member of the cluster. The cloud to the west of the system is NGC 1555, known more commonly as Hind's Variable Nebula.
Although this system is considered to be the prototype of T Tauri stars, a later phase in a protostar's formation, it is a very atypical T Tauri star.
View the full Wikipedia page for T Tauri