This Triple Star System Has A Secret — Here’s What Might Have Happened

An unprecedented triple star configuration has been seen by scientists. If the odd stellar trio once had a 4th sibling until one of them swallowed it up, it might explain why they are so considerably more massive and densely pressed together than a conventional triple formation.

TIC 470710327 is the designation for the triple or even tertiary star formation. The three-star system has a hierarchy, with a core set of binary stars revolving around one another and an additional star revolving around the core pair.

It’s not unusual to see triple star systems: according to NASA, tertiary star complexes may make up as much as 10% of the cosmos. A solitary exoplanet circling a tertiary system was found for the first time around September 2021, indicating the possibility of life in these configurations.

The size and form of TIC 470710327 set it apart from all previous documented tertiary systems. Since their combined gravitational attraction is greater than that of standard tertiary stars, the trio is considerably tighter than would otherwise be the case.

TIC 470710327 is home to a binary star system with a total mass approximately 12 times that of the sun and also an orbital period of little more than a day. The outermost star is much more massive than the inner one, coming in at around 16 suns, but it completes a circle around the dual pair once each 52 days – which is very swift considering their enormous size.

Thorough computer modeling suggested that this scenario best summed up the sheer size and density of the stars: the structure was initially composed of two binary pairs, with one pair rotating where the extra massive exterior star is now located, and then the other couple circling where the central star is now located. Scientists believe a stellar fusion occurred between the outer binary pair, resulting in a singular, highly massive object.