Gemini Stars Pollux and Castor
Image Credit & Copyright: Rogelio Bernal Andreo (Deep Sky Colors)
Explanation: Who are the twins of Gemini? It terms of astronomical objects, the
famous constellation is dominated by two bright stars:
Pollux (left) and
Castor (right).
Pictured, the two stars stand out because they are so bright,
so close together both in angle and brightness, but so different in color. Pollux, at 33 light years distant, is an evolved red giant star twice as massive as our Sun. Castor, at 51 light years distant, is a blue main sequence
star about 2.7 times more massive that our Sun. Castor is known to have at least two
stellar companions, while Pollux is now known to be circled by at least one
massive planet. In terms of ancient
Babylonian,
Greek, and
Roman mythology, Castor and Pollux
represent twin brothers. Currently, the Earth's orbit is causing the Sun to appear to shift in front of the constellation of Gemini, with the result that, for much of humanity,
Castor and Pollux will remain visible toward the west at sunset for only a few more weeks.
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