Despite various theories that were propounded to explain the origin of the solar system, no one could solve the problem of the great distances to which the planets have been thrown away from the sun.
In order to solve this knotty problem, Prof. H.N. Russel, an American astronomer, made a suggestion (1937) that the sun was a binary star, i.e. twin-star system. It means that the sun had a companion star.
Now, if an intruding star approached the companion star of the sun, the tidal filament (and the planets originating there from) produced from the sun’s companion will naturally be at great distance from the sun.
In the beginning the planets were closer together and the satellites were born due to the mutual gravitational attraction between them. The intruding star being far away from the sun could have no impact on the satellites.
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Russel’s suggestion that the primitive sun was a binary star cannot be regarded figment of imagination. This suggestion seems to be true because at least 10% of the stars in the universe are found to be binary stars. In the opinion of some astronomers the number of binary stars in all probability happens to be about 30% of the total.
The above fact alone is able to explain the great distances of the planets from the sun as well as their high angular momentum.
However, this hypothesis fails to account for the removal of the sun’s companion star from its (Sun’s) gravitational attraction and for the retention of the tidal filaments which are supposed to condense into planets and revolve round the sun.
Criticism:
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It is true that Russel’s assumption of a binary star, i.e. the sun and its companion, and an intruding star that was far more massive than the twin stars could solve the problem regarding the distance between the planets and the sun, and also explained the high angular momentum of the planetary system. But there are certain objections to his hypothesis on the following grounds:
(i) Russel could not explain the disappearance of the residual part of the companion star of the sun after all the planets of the solar system were formed from the ejected matter of the sun’s companion.
(ii) Russel did not throw light on the problem of the removal of the sun’s companion from the gravitational control of the sun.
(iii) It was not made clear as to how was the companion star driven away and how could the filament (out of which the planets were born) ejected from the sun’s companion remain within the gravitational control of the sun.
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(iv) The present spacing of the planets remained unanswered.
(v) Why a filament in the intruding star could not be produced by the tidal attraction of the sun’s companion?