Museum of Science
Region: US
Tuesday 25 August 2026 21:02:01 GMT
14386
1663
73
101
Music
Download
Comments
Noah Booth :
Systems like this can remain stable over long periods of time despite the so-called n-body problem because these systems aren't really n-body. They're more like recursive 2 bodies. Two bodies in orbit around a mutual center of mass is inherently stable. Two such systems can orbit each other if the orbital distance between the two binary systems is large relative to the orbital distance of the binary systems themselves. In that case, each binary system acts more like a single mass that the other binary system orbits, and the whole configuration is stable. There's no limit to how many levels of this there could be, theoretically, as long as it's binary at most at each level.
2026-08-26 19:41:25
0
Fenzycat :
This is my scifi nerd coming out, but I wonder if there are any goldilocks zones for a planet to harbor life. It would be an interesting sky for anyone on a planet like this!
2026-08-26 19:50:51
0
DM :
It’s a polycule
2026-08-26 00:45:26
99
foggagegreen :
at first i was like "yeah, rating things out of ten stars is too much; four or five stars feels like enough"
2026-08-25 23:33:51
95
Bretman :
3 body problem? TYC 7037-89-1: "Hold my beer" 🤓
2026-08-26 17:23:14
0
Wavy Crocket🌊🏄🏽♂️ :
6 body problem
2026-08-26 03:48:45
38
Elizabeth 🇵🇸 :
Are there any planets/other satellites or just the six stars?
2026-08-26 01:58:14
8
Born to Bark :
So it’s like a Friends episode of stars ⭐️😏
2026-08-26 05:58:54
1
Rudedog :
So this will become the six body problem. Can’t wait for this series to air
2026-08-26 01:17:11
14
Noah Booth :
Just like the Earth-Sun-Moon is not a true three body problem because the Earth-Moon system acts like a single mass orbiting the Sun, these kinds of configurations are not really n-body. They're recursively binary.
2026-08-26 19:49:49
0
toast :
Someone show cixin Liu
2026-08-26 00:20:45
11
andrewcarter4017 :
what's the cutoff or definition of a star system? cuz the whole galaxy is a star system if you want it to be 🤷🏼♂️
2026-08-26 03:08:30
1
Lemonsqueezy :
This seems like a system that won't remain stable for long. Eventually the pairs will be split up and/pr ejected. Might be a collision but that is very unlikely. I think the pair that orbits so far out has already experienced this and will be the first to go.
2026-08-26 12:51:01
3
Lucy :
i think it needs a catchier name!
2026-08-25 21:40:53
2
Stephen King :
3 body ody ody ody problem
2026-08-26 12:07:50
0
the onion :
Wait interesting I didn’t realize there could be this many stars in one system
2026-08-26 01:23:44
1
Dr. Chris Sanders - Meteorites :
The limit does not exist! All the stars!!!
2026-08-26 01:44:37
1
juniperelo :
Trisolaris could never
2026-08-26 14:06:01
2
seanp.terry :
how do the know the time of the third pair if it isn't observable (2k years)? Just math? how can you be sure they are stable?
2026-08-26 03:47:59
1
Timmy Drexler :
When you say they are all orbiting a common center of mass, what is that? Is it like a barycenter sorta thingy or is there something there that isn’t visible?
2026-08-26 00:53:16
1
Critical Cole :
6 body problem
2026-08-26 12:19:39
1
Chris Wolfe :
its a Binary-Binary Binary system 🤔
2026-08-26 11:40:24
2
Sadphonics :
no way does this system stay stable. we probably won't see it collapse as a species but yeah that seems unstable
2026-08-26 13:46:47
1
blankjebus :
so a triple binary system?
2026-08-26 05:53:01
2
CSmith :
The Six-Body Problem
2026-08-25 23:00:19
2
To see more videos from user @museumofscience, please go to the Tikwm
homepage.
