<p>I'm wondering how close a planet-M-dwarf system could orbit a G star and have the planet remain tidally locked to the M star.  I'm curious, because I'm designing a habitable planet, and I want the planet to be close enough to the G star that at least a minimal amount of photosynthesis could occur on the &quot;night-side&quot; (not really accurate term in this context).  If the planet-M-dwarf system was orbiting the G star at 2 AU, could the planet remain tidally locked? If not, what is the minimum distance?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-09-21T17:30:17.853Z
It depends how close the planet orbits the m-dwarf. It is debatable whether a tidally locked planet is habitable. With 2au separation between the stars hardly any orbit will be stable
planetmaker
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-09-21T18:42:14.400Z
Ok thank you, that's what I thought, but I was hoping there was a way around it.
Elhammo
<orbit><planet><binary-star><star-systems><tidal-locking>
If a planet orbits an M-Star in an S-type orbit around a G star, what is the minimum distance from the G star that it could remain tidally locked?
Elhammo
# If a planet orbits an M-Star in an S-type orbit around a G star, what is the minimum distance from the G star that it could remain tidally locked?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2022-09-21)

I'm wondering how close a planet-M-dwarf system could orbit a G star and have the planet remain tidally locked to the M star. I'm curious, because I'm designing a habitable planet, and I want the planet to be close enough to the G star that at least a minimal amount of photosynthesis could occur on the "night-side" (not really accurate term in this context). If the planet-M-dwarf system was orbiting the G star at 2 AU, could the planet remain tidally locked? If not, what is the minimum distance?

**Tags:** orbit, planet, binary-star, star-systems, tidal-locking

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: It depends how close the planet orbits the m-dwarf. It is debatable whether a tidally locked planet is habitable. With 2au separation between the stars hardly any orbit will be stable  
> **username_0**: Ok thank you, that's what I thought, but I was hoping there was a way around it.  

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## 0 answers

