Alhena is the white star at the feet of Pollux in Gemini, the third-brightest of the Twins, a navigational star whose Arabic name refers to a brand or mark.
At a glance
| type | white star (class A) |
|---|---|
| distance from the Sun | 109 light-years (33.5 pc) |
| its light left it | 109 years ago |
| luminosity | 209 × the Sun |
| radius | 5.12 × the Sun |
| surface temperature | 9,700 K |
| constellation | Gemini (Twins) |
Read off the piece’s own catalogue, the same values it draws with.
About Alhena
Alhena is a hot white star, larger than the Sun and far brighter, close to the end of its hydrogen-burning life. Its pure white light comes from a surface much hotter than the Sun’s.
In the figure of Gemini it marks the feet of Pollux, the eastern twin, at the southern end of the constellation. The name comes from Arabic and refers to a brand or mark, an image from an older picture of these stars. Lying close to the ecliptic, it is passed now and then by the Moon and planets, and it is one of the stars of celestial navigation.
What you see in the piece
From Earth Alhena stands below Pollux like a foot under its body; in the piece Pollux is much nearer the Sun, and the twin’s head and feet come apart as you leave.
Questions
Where is Alhena in Gemini?
Alhena marks the feet of Pollux, at the southern end of Gemini, below the bright heads of the Twins.