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Gemini is dominated by Castor and Pollux, two bright stars that appear relatively very closely together forming an o shape, encouraging the mythological link between the constellation and twinship. The twin above and to the right (as seen from the Northern Hemisphere) is Castor, whose brightest star is α Gem; it is a second-magnitude star and ...
This is the list of notable stars in the constellation Gemini, sorted by decreasing brightness. Name B F Var HD HIP RA Dec vis. mag. abs. mag. Dist. Sp. class Notes
Gamma Geminorum (γ Geminorum, abbreviated Gamma Gem, γ Gem), formally named Alhena / æ l ˈ h iː n ə /, [13] is the third-brightest object in the constellation of Gemini.It has an apparent visual magnitude of 1.9, [2] making it easily visible to the naked eye even in urban regions.
Castor is the second-brightest object in the zodiac constellation of Gemini. It has the Bayer designation α Geminorum, which is Latinised to Alpha Geminorum and abbreviated Alpha Gem or α Gem. With an apparent visual magnitude of 1.58, it is one of the brightest stars in the night sky.
ζ Geminorum (Latinised to Zeta Geminorum) is the star's Bayer designation.WDS J07041+2034 A is its designation in the Washington Double Star Catalog.The designations of the two components as WDS J03158-0849 Aa and Ab derive from the convention used by the Washington Multiplicity Catalog (WMC) for multiple star systems, and adopted by the International Astronomical Union (IAU).
As their name suggests, Geminid meteors appear to stream from the Gemini constellation, but skywatchers should be able to see shooting stars without gazing directly at the constellation.
“At this time of year, the constellation of Gemini lies low in the east at sunset, is overhead at 2 in the morning and sets in the western sky as the sun rises,” Lunsford said.
As the name suggests, these shooting stars appear to stream from the Gemini constellation, but the meteors are actually bits of debris from an asteroid known as 3200 Phaeton.