• logicbomb@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    69
    ·
    1 day ago

    Also from Wikipedia:

    Although appearing to the naked eye as a single point of light, Polaris is a triple star system, composed of the primary, a yellow supergiant designated Polaris Aa, in orbit with a smaller companion, Polaris Ab; the pair is in a wider orbit with Polaris B. The outer pair AB were discovered in August 1779 by William Herschel, where the ‘A’ refers to what is now known to be the Aa/Ab pair.

    I learned something new today. And if I’m reading the details section correctly, while the outer pair of stars are actually older than sharks, it’s the bright star that you can actually see that’s younger than sharks.

    • Skullgrid@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      14
      ·
      1 day ago

      And if I’m reading the details section correctly, while the outer pair of stars are actually older than sharks, it’s the bright star that you can actually see that’s younger than sharks.

      This makes even less sense, how is the heavier thing in the middle younger than the things that orbit it?

      • dwindling7373@feddit.it
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        28
        ·
        1 day ago

        I may be wrong but a mass of inhert hydrogen has the same mass of a radiating one, so they could have been orbiting a mass of gas a long time before the “newer” one ignited.

      • ryedaft@sh.itjust.works
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        11
        ·
        1 day ago

        The bigger the star, the brighter it burns

        Also it dies sooner. So any given big star is more likely to be young

      • Aeao@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        6
        arrow-down
        3
        ·
        1 day ago

        I can explain that but I have to use the only thing available to illustrate.

        So imagine my left testicle here formed before this penis in the middle… And yes it is technically a penis despite the small size, and this testicle-