Overview

• New research suggests that 'Be' stars, also known as 'vampire' stars, may form in triple star systems, with the third star pushing the second towards their 'vampire' star overlord.
• These Be stars are a subset of B stars, which are between three and 20 times more massive than our sun, and are surrounded by discs of gas and dust produced by their rapid rotation.
• The researchers found evidence for Be stars being triple systems by analyzing data from the European Space Agency's Gaia satellite.
• The discovery could improve our understanding of things like black holes, neutron stars and gravitational wave sources, as these systems could be the precursors to those objects.
• The findings could also indicate that triple star systems have more cosmic importance than previously thought, with one of the researchers stating that 'triples have become the new binaries.'