70 Ophiuchi
Quick Summary
70 Ophiuchi is a binary star system located approximately 5.0 parsecs from Earth. Binary stars are two stars that orbit a common center of mass. This system is observable as a visual binary, meaning both stars can be seen through a telescope.12
The combined mass of 70 Ophiuchi's two stars is about 1.56 times the mass of our Sun. The individual masses are approximately 0.90 and 0.66 solar masses. The stars orbit each other with a period of 87.8 years.2
Binary star systems are crucial for astronomers to determine stellar masses directly, provided the orbital dimensions are known. This is achieved by applying Kepler's third law of planetary motion.2
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