Astronomy on Tap: How to Build a Planet with Two Suns

Astronomy on Tap: How to Build a Planet with Two Suns with Dr. Taylor Kutra

Planet formation is never simple—but what happens when you throw a second star into the mix? Join Lowell astronomer Dr. Taylor Kutra for a fascinating look at how planets form in the most common stellar environments: multiple star systems. While most planet formation theories are based on single stars, the reality is that most stars are born with companions. Dr. Kutra will dive into her research on young, tightly bound binary systems, where evolving circumstellar and circumbinary disks create an even more chaotic stage for planet birth. These small systems may be hard to spot, but they offer big clues—and big challenges—for our understanding of planetary origins.