multiple star

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noun Astronomy.

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

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

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Origin of multiple star

First recorded in 1840–50

Words nearby multiple star

multiple personality, multiplepoinding, multiple reentry vehicle, multiple sclerosis, multiple shop, multiple star, multiple store, multiplet, multiple-unit car, multiple-valued, multiple-valued function

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use multiple star in a sentence

No matter how great your franchise player, it’s essential for championship teams to have multiple stars and role players maximizing their influence on the game as well.
James Harden has confused player empowerment with self-sabotage|Jerry Brewer|December 10, 2020|Washington Post
Theoretical studies had suggested disk tearing might happen in multiple star systems, but this is the first time it’s been seen in real life, Kraus contends.
A weirdly warped planet-forming disk circles a distant trio of stars|Lisa Grossman|September 3, 2020|Science News
When several stars appear in close proximity to each other, they are spoken of, collectively, as a multiple star.
The Sailor's Word-Book|William Henry Smyth
An actual multiple star in the constellation Polaris will serve as an example.
Climatic Changes|Ellsworth Huntington

It is well seen, however, as a fine multiple star with a smaller aperture.
Half-hours with the Telescope|Richard A. Proctor
So θ Orionis, or the Trapezium of Orion, is a multiple star, probably lying in the midst of the nebula.
Through Magic Glasses and Other Lectures|Arabella B. Buckley

British Dictionary definitions for multiple star

multiple star

noun

a system of three or more stars associated by gravitationSee also binary star

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for multiple star

multiple star

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. See also binary star.