The twins’ mother, Spartan Queen Leda, was seduced by Zeus, who visited the queen in the form of a swan, associated with the constellation Cygnus (the Swan), and she became pregnant with Polydeuces and Helen (who would become the famous Helen of Troy). The brothers were also known as the Dioscuri, which means “sons of Zeus.” In most versions of the myth, however, only Polydeuces was Zeus’ son, and Castor was the son of the mortal King Tyndareus of Sparta. Gemini constellation represents the twins Castor and Polydeuces in Greek mythology. Gemini constellation map by IAU and Sky&Telescope magazine Myth The star names approved by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) are Alhena, Alzirr, Castor, Jishui, Mebsuta, Mekbuda, Pollux, Propus, Tejat, and Wasat. The Geminids are usually bright and peak around December 13-14. There are two meteor showers associated with the constellation the Geminids and the Rho Geminids. The brightest star in the constellation is Pollux, Beta Geminorum, with an apparent magnitude of 1.14. Gemini contains a Messier object – the star cluster Messier 35 (M35, NGC 2168) – and has seven stars with known planets. Gemini belongs to the zodiac family of constellations, along with Aries, Taurus, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpius, Sagittarius, Capricornus, Aquarius and Pisces. The neighboring constellations are Auriga, Cancer, Canis Minor, Lynx, Monoceros, Orion and Taurus. It lies in the second quadrant of the northern hemisphere (NQ2) and can be seen at latitudes between +90° and -60°.
Gemini is the 30th largest constellation in the sky, occupying an area of 514 square degrees. Gemini is known mainly for its two bright stars, Castor and Pollux, the neutron star Geminga, and several notable deep sky objects, among them the open cluster Messier 35, the Eskimo Nebula, the Jellyfish Nebula, and the Medusa Nebula. Gemini is one of the zodiac constellations, first catalogued by the Greek astronomer Ptolemy in the 2nd century. The constellation represents the twins Castor and Pollux (Polydeuces), also known as the Dioscuri in ancient times, in Greek mythology. Gemini constellation is located in the northern celestial hemisphere.
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