The Milky Way galaxy is populated by a few hundred billion stars. Stars like those that make up 61 Cygni orbit each other about a common center of mass. Such stars are called binary stars.

Over half of the stars you see in the night sky are binary stars that are part of a double or multiple star system. They can't be seen as individual stars because they are too far away from us and too close to each other.

Exploring the Milky Way Home

The Milky Way - The View From Within (Beginning)

The Milky Way - The View From Afar (Beginning)

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