'Vampire' Stars Form in Triple Star Systems, New Research Shows

The discovery could enhance our understanding of black holes, neutron stars and gravitational wave sources, suggesting triple star systems hold more cosmic significance than previously believed.

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.'