Mass Transfer in a Binary Star System

Imagine standing on the surface of one of two orbiting stars. You will feel the pull of gravity from both stars, but if you are on the side closest to the other star, you will feel more of a pull to that star.




The classical example of mass transfer in a binary system is given by...







Of course, the real world is three-dimensional...



What if there is a wind and a stream?

Elias et al. 1997