multiple star

American  

noun

Astronomy.

1. three or more stars lying close together in the celestial sphere and usually united in a single gravitational system.

---

multiple star British  

noun

1. a system of three or more stars associated by gravitation See also binary star

---

multiple star Scientific  

1. A system of three or more stars that are bound together by gravity and orbit a common center of mass. The group generally appears as a single star to the naked eye. Astronomers believe that most stars in the universe are part of multiple or binary systems. Alpha Centauri, the closest star to our Sun, is a multiple star system containing three bodies.

2. See also binary star

---

Etymology

Origin of multiple star

First recorded in 1840–50

Example Sentences

Abraham, 30, was one of the multiple stars Teigen harshly criticized online, going as far as calling the reality TV star a "w---e" in a 2013 tweet.

From Fox News

Roster management has played a role as injuries have been prevalent and multiple stars have missed time.

From Washington Post

It found a surfeit of multiple star systems, including the superlative TIC 168789840 last March.

From New York Times

New technology will enable the coronagraph to block multiple stars at the same time, needed to hunt for exoplanets in star systems that, unlike our own, have two stars or more.

From Science Magazine

Some of these planets orbit multiple stars at the same time.

From Salon