A stellar system consisting of two stars orbiting around their common center of mass. These stars are gravitationally bound and can be classified as visual, spectroscopic, or eclipsing binaries depending on how they are observed.
From Latin 'binarius' meaning 'consisting of two' and Old English 'steorra' meaning star. The term emerged in the 19th century as astronomers began systematically cataloging double star systems through improved telescopes.
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