Evidence mounts for sun's companion star (Forwarded)

Binary Research Institute

Contact:
Heidi Hall, 949-399-0314

April 24, 2006

Evidence mounts for sun's companion star

NEWPORT BEACH, CA -- The Binary Research Institute (BRI) has found that
orbital characteristics of the recently discovered planetoid, "Sedna",
demonstrate the possibility that our sun might be part of a binary star
system. A binary star system consists of two stars gravitationally bound
orbiting a common center of mass. Once thought to be highly unusual,
such systems are now considered to be common in the Milky Way galaxy.

Walter Cruttenden at BRI, Professor Richard Muller at UC Berkeley, Dr.
Daniel Whitmire of the University of Louisiana, amongst several others,
have long speculated on the possibility that our sun might have an as
yet undiscovered companion. Most of the evidence has been statistical
rather than physical. The recent discovery of Sedna, a small planet like
object first detected by Cal Tech astronomer Dr. Michael Brown, provides
what could be indirect physical evidence of a solar companion. Matching
the recent findings by Dr. Brown, showing that Sedna moves in a highly
unusual elliptical orbit, Cruttenden has determined that Sedna moves in
resonance with previously published orbital data for a hypothetical
companion star.

In the May 2006 issue of Discover, Dr. Brown stated: "Sedna shouldn't be
there. There's no way to put Sedna where it is. It never comes close
enough to be affected by the sun, but it never goes far enough away from
the sun to be affected by other stars ... Sedna is stuck, frozen in
place; there's no way to move it, basically there's no way to put it
there -- unless it formed there. But it's in a very elliptical orbit
like that. It simply can't be there. There's no possible way -- except
it is. So how, then?"

"I'm thinking it was placed there in the earliest history of the solar
system. I'm thinking it could have gotten there if there used to be
stars a lot closer than they are now and those stars affected Sedna on
the outer part of its orbit and then later on moved away. So I call
Sedna a fossil record of the earliest solar system. Eventually, when
other fossil records are found, Sedna will help tell us how the sun
formed and the number of stars that were close to the sun when it formed."

Walter Cruttenden agrees that Sedna's highly elliptical orbit is very
unusual, but noted that the orbit period of 12,000 years is in neat
resonance with the expected orbit periodicity of a companion star as
outlined in several prior papers. Consequently, Cruttenden believes that
Sedna's unusual orbit is something indicative of the current solar
system configuration, not merely a historical record. "It is hard to
imagine that Sedna would retain its highly elliptical orbit pattern
since the beginning of the solar system billions of years ago. Because
eccentricity would likely fade with time, it is logical to assume Sedna
is telling us something about current, albeit unexpected solar system
forces, most probably a companion star".

Outside of a few popular articles, and Cruttenden's book "Lost Star of
Myth and Time", which outlines historical references and the modern
search for the elusive companion, the possibility of a binary partner
star to our sun has been left to the halls of academia. But with Dr.
Brown's recent discoveries of Sedna and Xena, (now confirmed to be
larger than Pluto), and timing observations like Cruttenden's, the
search for a companion star may be gaining momentum.