binary system
noun
: binary star
also
: a similar system containing bodies (such as black holes) other than stars
Examples of binary system in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
There is some evidence that the protostar here is not a single object but actually a pair, a binary system with the two components orbiting each other fairly close together (separated by about 2.7 billion kilometers, about the same distance between Uranus and the sun).
—
Phil Plait, Scientific American, 13 Feb. 2025
This gravitational radiation carries angular momentum away from the binary system, causing the neutron stars to draw together.
—Robert Lea, Space.com, 12 Feb. 2025
Astrophysicists believe these stars began life as one half of a binary system that strayed too close to Sagittarius A*.
—The Physics Arxiv Blog, Discover Magazine, 11 Feb. 2025
Its companions, known as T Tauri South A and B, make up a binary system that's 100 astronomical units (9.3 billion miles/14.9 billion kilometers) away from the main star and orbit around T Tauri North once every 4,600 years.
—Keith Cooper, Space.com, 23 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for binary system 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Phil Plait, Scientific American, 13 Feb. 2025
This gravitational radiation carries angular momentum away from the binary system, causing the neutron stars to draw together.
—Robert Lea, Space.com, 12 Feb. 2025
Astrophysicists believe these stars began life as one half of a binary system that strayed too close to Sagittarius A*.
—The Physics Arxiv Blog, Discover Magazine, 11 Feb. 2025
Its companions, known as T Tauri South A and B, make up a binary system that's 100 astronomical units (9.3 billion miles/14.9 billion kilometers) away from the main star and orbit around T Tauri North once every 4,600 years.
—Keith Cooper, Space.com, 23 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for binary system
Dictionary Entries Near binary system
Cite this Entry
“Binary system.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/binary%20system. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share