Astronomers have discovered a quadruple star system, HD 98800, where four stars are 'birthing' one planet. Located in the constellation Crater, approximately 150 light-years away, this system is around 10 million years old, placing it in a formative phase. The stars are arranged in two close binaries that orbit each other as a wider pair, with one binary hosting a dust disk and the other not. Dr. Elise Furlan notes that gaps in debris disks often indicate the presence of a planet, but the inward-migrating dust particles in this system are subject to complex, time-varying forces, making planet existence speculative. The close binaries orbit each other in a few hundred days with eccentric paths, which can heat and stir nearby dust. The wider orbit between the two binaries is a few hundred years, and astronomers observed a single moment in this cycle. HD 98800 has a precise distance measurement, allowing for the calculation of intrinsic brightness. The stars fall above the main sequence on the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram, indicating they are in the pre-main-sequence stage. Age and mass estimates agree, with the four stars ranging from seven to twelve million years old and having masses similar to the Sun. Using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, scientists found two dust belts around HD 98800B, one containing asteroids and comets, and the other consisting of fine dust grains. The system's layout is rare and eccentric, offering a perfect case study for examining stars during their early years and how multi-star systems influence planet formation. The presence of two dust belts in a system with four stars sets useful constraints for models of planet formation in complex gravitational settings. The system's kinematics trace back to a familiar nursery, supporting the idea that HD 98800 formed in or near that region before drifting to its current position. Membership in the TW Hydrae association further strengthens the case for a shared origin. The study was published in the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics, and the system offers a rare opportunity to study young multi-star systems with structured disks.
