Astronomers have tended to doubt planets could exist around stars in star clusters. They have reasoned that so many powerful, conflicting gravitational fields in such a relatively small area would prevent any planet from forming.
It made sense-- except it turns out to be wrong. A planet has now been found in orbit around a star in the Beehive Ckuster, which contains about a hundred stars. The discovery has implications for life in the universe. Most stars exist in multiple star systems, of which star clusters are the most extreme examples. If planets can exist in star clusters, life has that many more chances to take hold.
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