File:Worlds With Many Suns AS 205.tif
Although most high-resolution studies have so far focused on single stars, multiple systems are far from uncommon in the Universe. It is thought that over half of all stars may exist in multiple systems, an estimate that may be even higher for young stars. The presence of companion stars is likely to have complex implications for a disc and its substructures. This is due to as the gravitational influence of a stellar neighbour, which may distort and redistribute the material within the disc. Data from AS 205 and HT Lup indicate that stars and their neighbouring discs interact strongly.
Despite their unsettled birth environments, planets have been detected in multiple stellar systems — some orbiting just one of the stars, others orbiting the entire system. The latter are more likely to have stable orbits than the former, which get caught up in volatile interstellar dynamics.