Gemini (constellation)

Information about Gemini (constellation)

For other uses, see Gemini (disambiguation)

**Gemini**
Gemini Click for larger image
List of stars in Gemini
Abbreviation:	Gem
Genitive:	Geminorum
Symbology:	the Twins, Castor & Pollux
Right ascension:	7 h
Declination:	+20
Area:	514 sq. deg. (30th)
Main stars:	8, 17
Bayer/Flamsteed stars:	77
Stars with planets:	3
Bright stars:	4
Nearby stars:	1
Brightest star:	Pollux (β Gem) (1.1^m)
Nearest star:	Pollux (β Gem) (33.7 ly)
Messier objects:	1
Meteor showers:	Geminids Rho Geminids
Bordering constellations:	Lynx Auriga Taurus Orion Monoceros Canis Minor Cancer
Visible at latitudes between +90 and −60 Best visible at 21:00 (9 p.m.) during the month of February

Gemini (IPA: /ˈdʒɛmɪnʌɪ/, Latin: twins, symbol , Unicode ♊) is one of the constellations of the zodiac known as "the twins". It is part of the winter sky, lying between Taurus to the west and the dim Cancer to the east, with Auriga and the near-invisible Lynx to the north and Monoceros and Canis Minor to the south. The Gemini program is named for it.

Notable Deep Sky Objects

Open Cluster M35. It also contains many interesting nebulas and star clusters. NGC 2158 is just southeast of M35. Also of note is the unique Eskimo Nebula, (also known as the Clownface Nebula) just southeast of the NGC 2420 open star cluster. Far northeast of this cluster lies NGC 2371, a planetary nebula next to the Gemini twin on the right. Another popular nebula in Gemini lies in the southern tip of the constellation, Abell 21 the Medusa Nebula.

Mythology

Since this constellation is easily viewable as two parallel stick figures [1], considering faint stars visible to the naked eye, it was associated with the myth of Castor and Polydeuces (also known as Pollux), collectively known as the Dioscuri. A myth of these twins heavily concerns cattle theft, and may be connected to early views of the Milky Way, as a herd of dairy cows or cattle, by which they are situated.

The orientation of the constellation can vary (since they readily form stick figures whether leaning right or left), though the twins are usually viewed as left leaning. However, when right leaning, one of the twins resides in the Milky Way, and the other outside it, a situation making it appear that one of the twins is stealing the cattle, and the other is observing. In this situation, together with the area of the sky that is deserted (now considered as the new and extremely faint constellations Camelopardalis and Lynx), and the other features of the area in the Zodiac sign of Gemini (i.e. Orion, Auriga, and Canis Major), this may be the origin of the myth of the cattle of Geryon, which forms one of The Twelve Labours of Heracles.

Astrology

In tropical astrology it is associated with the decorated floral profusion of symbol for Gemini is the twins. Gemini are communicators of the Zodiac. They are also the nonconformists of the Zodiac.

Graphic visualization

The stars of the constellation Gemini can be connected in an alternative way, which graphically shows a pair of twins holding hands.

The twin to the right is Castor, whose brightest star is alpha Geminorum (more commonly called Castor), is of the second magnitude, and represents Castor's head. The twin to the left is Pollux, whose brightest star is beta Geminorum (more commonly called Pollux), is of the first magnitude, and represents Pollux's head.

Pollux's torso is represented by star upsilon Geminorum, Pollux's right hand by iota Geminorum, Pollux's left hand by kappa Geminorum: all three of these stars are of the fourth magnitude.

Pollux's pelvis is represented by star delta Geminorum, Pollux's right knee by zeta Geminorum, Pollux's right foot by gamma Geminorum, Pollux's left knee by lambda Geminorum, and Pollux's left foot by xi Geminorum. Gamma Geminorum is of the second magnitude, while delta and xi Geminorum are of the third magnitude.

Castor's torso is represented by the star tau Geminorum, Castor's left hand by iota Geminorum (which he shares with Pollux), Castor's right hand by theta Geminorum: all three of these stars are of the fourth magnitude.

Castor's pelvis is represented by the star epsilon Geminorum, Castor's left foot by nu Geminorum, and Castor's right foot by mu Geminorum and eta Geminorum: epsilon, mu, and eta Geminorum are of the third magnitude.

References

H. A. Rey, The Stars — A New Way To See Them. Enlarged World-Wide Edition. Houghton Mifflin, Boston, 1997. ISBN 0-395-24830-2.
Ian Ridpath and Wil Tirion (2007). Collins Stars and Planets Guide, HarperCollins, London. ISBN 978-0007251209.

External links

The 88 modern Constellations

Constellation history

Astronomy | Constellations of the Zodiac | Astrology

Sagittarius| Capricorn

Gemini may refer to

In astronomy and space exploration:

Gemini (constellation), one of the constellations of the zodiac
Gemini (astrology), the astrological sign
Project Gemini, the second U.S.

..... Click the link for more information.

This is the list of notable stars in the constellation Gemini, sorted by decreasing brightness.

Name Designation Location Magnitude Dist. (ly) Sp. class Notes
B F HD HIP RA Dec vis. abs.
Pollux β 78 62509 37826 07^h 45^m 19.
..... Click the link for more information.

In grammar, the genitive case or possessive case (also called the second case) is the case that marks a noun as being the possessor of another noun.
..... Click the link for more information.

Twins are a form of multiple birth in which the mother gives birth to two offspring from the same pregnancy, either of the same or opposite sex.

The general term for more than one offspring from the same pregnancy is multiples
..... Click the link for more information.

Dioskouroi (Διόσκουροι), Kastor and Polydeuces (Κάστωρ και Πολυδεύκης
..... Click the link for more information.

Right ascension (abbrev. RA; symbol α) is the astronomical term for one of the two coordinates of a point on the celestial sphere when using the equatorial coordinate system. The other coordinate is the declination.
..... Click the link for more information.

In astronomy, declination (abbrev. dec or δ) is one of the two coordinates of the equatorial coordinate system, the other being either right ascension or hour angle.
..... Click the link for more information.

Here is a list of the 88 modern constellations by their area in the sky, measured in square degrees.

These areas are determined by constellation boundaries drawn up by Eugène Delporte in 1930 on behalf of the IAU and published in
..... Click the link for more information.

A Bayer designation is a stellar designation in which a specific star is identified by a Greek letter, followed by the genitive form of its parent constellation's Latin name.
..... Click the link for more information.

Flamsteed designations for stars are similar to Bayer designations, except that they use numbers instead of Greek letters. Each star is assigned a number and the Latin genitive of the constellation it lies in (see List of constellations for a list of constellations and the genitive
..... Click the link for more information.

Pollux (β Gem / β Geminorum / Beta Geminorum) is one of the brightest stars in the constellation Gemini and one of the brightest in the nighttime sky.
..... Click the link for more information.

The apparent magnitude (m) of a celestial body is a measure of its brightness as seen by an observer on Earth, normalized to the value it would have in the absence of the atmosphere.
..... Click the link for more information.

1 light-year =
SI units
010¹⁵ m 010¹² km
Astronomical units
010³ AU 0 pc
US customary / Imperial units
010¹⁵ ft 010¹² mi

A light-year or lightyear (symbol:
..... Click the link for more information.

Messier objects are a set of astronomical objects catalogued by French astronomer Charles Messier in his catalogue of Nebulae and Star Clusters first published in 1774.
..... Click the link for more information.

A meteor shower, some of which are known as a "meteor storm" or "meteor outburst", is a celestial event where a group of meteors are observed to radiate from one point in the sky. These meteors are small fragments of cosmic debris entering Earth's atmosphere at extremely high speed.
..... Click the link for more information.

The Geminids are a meteor shower caused by an object named 3200 Phaethon, which is thought to be an extinct comet. The meteors from this shower can be seen in mid-December and usually peak around 12-14 of the month.
..... Click the link for more information.

Lynx

Click for larger image
List of stars in Lynx
Abbreviation: Lyn
Genitive: Lyncis
Symbology: the Lynx
Right ascension: 8 h
Declination: +45
Area: 545 sq. deg.
..... Click the link for more information.

Auriga

Click for larger image
List of stars in Auriga
Abbreviation: Aur
Genitive: Aurigae
Symbology: the Charioteer
Right ascension: 6 h
Declination: +40
Area: 657 sq. deg.
..... Click the link for more information.

Taurus

Click for larger image
List of stars in Taurus
Abbreviation: Tau
Genitive: Tauri
Symbology: the Bull
Right ascension: 4 h
Declination: +15
Area: 797 sq. deg.
..... Click the link for more information.

Orion

Click for larger image
List of stars in Orion
Abbreviation: Ori
Genitive: Orionis
Symbology: Orion
Right ascension: 5 h
Declination: +5
Area: 594 sq. deg.
..... Click the link for more information.

Monoceros

Click for larger image
List of stars in Monoceros
Abbreviation: Mon
Genitive: Monocerotis
Symbology: the Unicorn
Right ascension: 7.15 h
Declination: −5.74
Area: 482 sq. deg.
..... Click the link for more information.

Canis minor

Click for larger image
List of stars in Canis minor
Abbreviation: CMi
Genitive: Canis Minoris
Symbology: the Smaller Dog
Right ascension: 8 h
Declination: +5
Area: 183 sq. deg.
..... Click the link for more information.

Cancer

Click for larger image
List of stars in Cancer
Abbreviation: Cnc
Genitive: Cancri
Symbology: the Crab
Right ascension: 9 h
Declination: +20
Area: 506 sq. deg.
..... Click the link for more information.

International Phonetic Alphabet

Note: This page may contain IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode.

The International
Phonetic Alphabet
History
Nonstandard symbols
Extended IPA
Naming conventions
IPA for English The
..... Click the link for more information.

Latin}}}
Official status
Official language of: Vatican City
Used for official purposes, but not spoken in everyday speech
Regulated by: Opus Fundatum Latinitas
Roman Catholic Church
Language codes
ISO 639-1: la
ISO 639-2: lat
..... Click the link for more information.

constellation of Orion is the area outlined in the dashed yellow line. Orion contains a striking and well-known star pattern that has the form of a hunter.]] A constellation is any one of the 88 areas into which the sky — or the celestial sphere — is divided.
..... Click the link for more information.

For other uses, see Zodiac (disambiguation).

The term zodiac denotes an annual cycle of twelve stations along the ecliptic, the apparent path of the sun across the heavens through the constellations that divide the ecliptic into twelve equal
..... Click the link for more information.

This article is copied from an article on Wikipedia.org - the free encyclopedia created and edited by online user community. The text was not checked or edited by anyone on our staff. Although the vast majority of the wikipedia encyclopedia articles provide accurate and timely information please do not assume the accuracy of any particular article. This article is distributed under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License.

Herod_Archelaus

iPedia Free Information Center