Where is gemini tonight

It is also home to 13 wonderful star constellations, one of them being the Gemini constellation. Should we look at the Gemini star constellation as two people, two goats or even twin peacocks? That can be debated between cultures, but what is for certain is where you can see Gemini from the UK. Learn everything you need to know about the Gemini constellation below.

The exact length of time that our ancestors have known about the Gemini star constellation remains unknown, but we have been aware of it for many centuries. What is more interesting is how different cultures have interpreted the constellation and connected it to different imagery more on this under the heading below! Gemini is a Latin word that means twins.

In Babylonian mythology, the two brightest stars of the constellation — Castor and Pullox - are referred to as the Great Twins.

Whereas in Greek mythology, the constellation is associated with two figures by the same names of the stars. Although, these two mythological figures were not twins at all. Learning the connections between constellations and mythology is one of the coolest things about stargazing. Star constellations are made by connecting the stars of the constellation with imaginary lines. Naturally, there would be more than one way to do this.

The star pattern of Gemini is often drawn as two almost straight lines that are connected at the top with two shorter lines at the bottom pointing outwards. With this in mind, it is not so easy to get an image of twins from the constellation. However, with some creativity and imagination, you can see the Gemini twins as intended by many ancient peoples.

Not every culture conjures the same imagery from the Gemini constellation. Whereas in some cultures the twins are people of the Greek myths, in others they are not people at all.

The Egyptians used to connect the stars to twin goats, while Arabian astrology identified them as twin peacocks. Gemini is one of the constellations in the zodiac which represents the twins in Greek mythology. Castor and Pollux are the two massive stars that have been named after these twin characters. The Gemini constellation is viewed by many as the Gemini twins or Pollux and Castor.

However, it should be noted that Pollux is slightly brighter compared to the Castor. In addition, Pollux is golden in colour while Castor is pure white. The differences between the two can be distinguished with the help of binoculars. The Gemini constellation is among the 88 modern constellations as defined by the IAU. Let us take Gemini constellation location.

It is quite easy to spot Gemini in the sky, even if you are not a seasoned skywatcher. He also lived in New York and I often wondered if he ever tried to meet Neely in person just to set him straight. Some historical evidence suggests that when they were first chosen to represent the Twins, Pollux and Castor actually appeared to be twin stars of equal brightness. If true, either Pollux has grown brighter or Castor had faded, for there is a noticeable difference between them now.

Pollux now appears about twice as bright as Castor and is also listed as one of the 57 navigational stars.

Pollux is approximately 34 light-years away. It is estimated to be nine times bigger than our sun and is about twice as massive. In , it was suspected that a planet was revolving around Pollux — that supposed planet was confirmed in It is a giant world, calculated to have a mass that is 2. Originally designated as "Pollux b," the International Astronomical Union has formally christened this planet "Thestias.

Castor, which is farther than Pollux at 51 light-years away, has some interesting credentials as well. In fact, the point of light we see with the unaided eye as a single star, is in reality six stars. In a telescope we can see two, Castor A and B.

Furthermore, both A and B are themselves doubles, though much too close to be separated optically. Finally, well off to the south of the main pair is Castor C, a pair of dim red stars. To help visualize this remarkable sextuplet stellar family, picture three waltzing couples on a giant ballroom floor. Two couples representing Castor A and B move around each other a few feet apart, while the third pair representing C dances in a far corner of the room and very, very slowly circles the first two couples.