Eskimo Nebula (NGC 2392, Caldwell 39) is a spectacular planetary nebula, and the first object photographed by the Hubble Space Telescope after a successful servicing mission in 1999. Notable Gemini constellation deep-sky objects (DSO) include the following: Notable objects include nebulae and open clusters Gemini also contains the blue supergiant Mebsuta (“Outstretched Paw”), which is 840 light-years away, has a visual magnitude of 3.06, and is around 150 times bigger than the Sun, 19 times more massive, and at least 8,500 times brighter. Other stars of interest in Gemini include the red giant Tejat Posterior (“Back Foot”) which has a visual magnitude of 2.88 the triple star system Propus (“Forward Foot”) of magnitude 3.28 and the variable supergiant Mekbuda (Zeta Geminorum), whose brightness varies from between 3.68 and 4.16 over a period of 10.148 days. Amongst the Arabs, it was sometimes called Almeisan, meaning “the shining one.” It is around 3 times bigger and more massive than the Sun, with about 123 times its brightness. – Alhena (Gamma Geminorum), the third brightest star in Gemini, is a white subgiant (A1 IV) found 109 light-years from our solar system that shines with an apparent magnitude of 1.915. Castor is the 44th most luminous star in the sky, and was known in Arabic culture as “The Head of the Foremost Twin,” or Al-Ras al-Taum al-Muqadim. It appears as a single blue-white star to the naked eye, although the system is actually composed of three binary pairs gravitationally bound together, which have an orbital period of 467 years. – Castor (Alpha Geminorum), the second most luminous star in Gemini, is a multiple system situated around 51 light-years distant that shines with a combined apparent magnitude of 1.58. Pollux is also the 17th brightest star in the entire sky, and is sometimes referred to as “The Head of the Second Twin”, which derives from the Arabic phrase “Al-Ras al-Tau’am al-Mu’akhar”. It is 10 times bigger than our sun, with twice its mass, and 32 times its luminosity. – Pollux (Beta Geminorum), the constellation’s brightest star, is an orange giant (K0III) situated about 34 light-years away with an apparent magnitude of 1.14. What Gemini lacks in deep-sky objects, it makes up for with bright, massive stars, some of which are described below: Note that the Gemini star constellation is lost in the Sun’s glare during late spring/early summer in the northern hemisphere, and during late autumn/early winter in the southern hemisphere. This interesting constellation reaches its highest point above the horizon at about 10 pm local time on February 9th, regardless of the observer’s position on Earth. Gemini is best visible in Februaryīeing the most northern of all the zodiac constellations, Gemini is easily seen overhead during the winter months for northern hemisphere observers, or in the summer if you live in the southern hemisphere. Consequently, Gemini is visible to anyone located between +90° and -60° of latitude and is easily found to the northeast of neighboring Orion, situated between Taurus to the west and Cancer to the east, with Canis Minor lying to its south. A northern constellation located northeast of OrionĪlthough Gemini is located in the northern hemisphere, this zodiac constellation lies along the ecliptic, which makes it visible to observers in much of the southern hemisphere as well. However, the outline of two young men might be less obvious from the southern hemisphere, from which vantage point their figures appear to be standing on their heads. In terms of its shape, Gemini actually looks like two “human-like” figures holding hands, with its two brightest stars, Castor and Pollux, marking the positions of each of their heads. The shape of Gemini resembles two human figures They also led the Spartan army that helped retrieve their sister Helen after she was abducted by Theseus, king of Attica, an event that took place a while before Paris eloped with Helen to Troy. Also known as the Dioscuri (“Sons of Zeus”), they featured in a number of prominent stories from Greek mythology, including joining Jason and the Argonauts on the quest to find the Golden Fleece, and taking part in the Calydonian Boar Hunt. The constellation of Gemini represents the legendary twins Castor and Pollux, who were the offspring of Queen Leda, the wife of King Tyndareus of Sparta. What does the Gemini constellation represent? It is the 30th largest constellation in the entire night sky, with its brightest star, Pollux, an orange giant star of magnitude 1.2 that is located 34 light-years distant. Gemini is the most northern of all the zodiac constellations and actually resembles “the twins” it depicts, with its two brightest stars marking their heads, and its fainter stars delineating their bodies.
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