Could a plantplanet have an orbit in the shape of a figure 8 around twin (possibly binary) stars?
Mostly curious about the physical possibility of such an orbital arrangement; is it stable over a long time scale? Could both stars be different sizes (masses?) and still maintain this figure 8-like planet orbit?
Ideally I'm going for a planet that orbits a red star and a small bluish/white star; it would have effectively three seasons:
Orbit around the red star - "Red Season" Hot summer like weather over the entire planet
Crossing between the starts in the center of the figure 8 - "Transition" the weather is cooler since the orbit is drifting away from the red star however the planet is almost constantly bathed in light (just not as much heat)
Orbit around the blue/white star - "Blue (or White) Season" effectively winter as a small dwarf type star would not have the same out put as the larger red one.
- Orbit around the red star: the "Red Season" - Hot summer like weather over the entire planet
- Crossing between the starts in the center of the figure 8: the "Transition" - the weather is cooler since the orbit is drifting away from the red star, however the planet is almost constantly bathed in light (just not as much heat)
- Orbit around the blue/white star: the "Blue (or White) Season" - effectively winter as a small dwarf type star would not have the same out put as the larger red one.
Is this at all Feasiblefeasible?