Is Tatooine the norm? Planets may prefer living with two suns instead of one

Planets may form more easily around pairs of stars than around single stars like the sun, according to new research. Binary star systems , in which two stars orbit each other, are common throughout the Milky Way — and, in fact, even our sun may not have always been alone . For decades, astronomers believed such multi-star systems were hostile environments for planet formation, with competing gravitational forces stirring up surrounding material and preventing planets from taking shape. …