http://lightyears.blogs.cnn.com/2011/09/15/tatooine-gives-first-direct-proof-of-2-sun-planet/
Using data from NASA's Kepler orbiting telescope, scientists have just seen the first direct evidence of a
planet orbiting a binary star system, which they are dubbing Tatooine after the classic desert planet in Star Wars. This is a fascinating new development in our continual charting of extrasolar planets, of which several hundred have been found to date.
This is particularly topical for me, since my current manuscript is set on a world orbiting two suns, a bright yellow/orange star called Eldrar and a smaller, blue/white star named Indar. Alas, Kepler-16's star system doesn't resemble my own.
Choosing a binary star system was part of the careful design of my world. We have all read SF or fantasy where the world is so alien that much of the terminology, descriptions, creatures, technology, etc. means nothing to us as a reader. The author's intent is to reproduce an incomprehensible, alien world. We spend the first chapter(s) feeling like a stranger in a strange land, fighting to get to grips with it all. More talented authors lessen this culture shock, by using terminology in a way that allows us to grasp the real-world equivalent, or take the jargon at face value and go with the flow.
At the other extreme, some fantasy worlds are so similar to medieval Earth, often feudal Europe or Japan, that nothing needs explaining. Easy to read, but they lack the flavour, the spice of experiencing an exciting, far-off planet. I chose to take the popular middle ground, interspersing terminology and concepts, bizarre places and creatures, with more familiar terms like broom or bucket. I hope this allows me to keep the reader immersed in my world, without the constant jarring of unfamiliar words.
Hence, my two suns allow me to remind the reader often that “we aren't in Kansas”, by a simple reference to a twin suns-set, or the image of two stars hanging above the horizon, just like those classic pictures of Tatooine. A simple, effective device, but one that becomes more important to the plot of later books.