Gemini, the Twins, is a zodiac constellation of the northern winter sky, two lines of stars headed by the bright pair Castor and Pollux, the heads of the twins.
At a glance
| stars in the figure | 17 |
|---|---|
| nearest star of the figure | Pollux, 33.7 light-years (10.3 pc) |
| farthest star of the figure | Mekbuda, 1,380 light-years (422 pc) |
| depth | the farthest is 41 × farther than the nearest |
| zodiac | ♊ the ecliptic runs through it |
Read off the piece’s own catalogue, the same values it draws with.
About Gemini
Gemini represents Castor and Pollux, the twin brothers of Greek myth, and the two stars that carry their names mark their heads. They are not twins at all: Pollux is a single orange giant with a known planet, while Castor is a family of six stars, three pairs bound together. The twins’ bodies run in two parallel lines towards Orion, ending at Alhena and the feet.
Near the feet lies M35, an open cluster visible in binoculars, and the Eskimo Nebula, the cast-off shell of a dying star, lies within the figure. The Geminid meteors, among the richest showers of the year, seem to come from near Castor. The ecliptic runs through Gemini, and it is best seen on northern winter and spring evenings.
What you see in the piece
Flown out to, Pollux is the closer of the pair and the nearest star of the figure, while Mekbuda, a pulsating star at a knee, lies far behind, and the twins no longer stand side by side.
Questions
Are Castor and Pollux really twins?
No. They look like a pair from Earth, but Pollux is a single orange giant and Castor a system of six stars, at different distances from us.
How far away are the stars of Gemini?
They range from Pollux, 33.7 light-years (10.3 pc), to Mekbuda, 1,380 light-years (422 pc): the farthest is 41 × farther than the nearest.