Tatooine exoplanets are oddly rare, and we finally know why

Artist’s concept of a planet – the black dot – orbiting a pair of stars in a binary star system. A new study says Einstein’s general theory of relativity can explain why these Tatooine exoplanets seem to be rarer than 1st thought. Image via NASA/ Goddard Space Flight Center.

• Tatooine planets are exoplanets that orbit two stars instead of just one. The name comes from the fictional arid desert world in “Star Wars.”
• These planets seem to be rarer than first thought, although they do exist.