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.
Binary stars are actually more common than single stars like our Sun - over half of all stars in the galaxy have stellar companions! Some binary systems are so close that material streams between them, creating spectacular cosmic fireworks and eventually leading to explosive events like novae.
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