Even if you are not a seasoned skywatcher, Gemini is easy to find in the sky. Gemini is a northern constellation that lies between the constellations of Cancer and Taurus. It can be seen primarily from November through April. It is visible in the Southern Hemisphere from December through March. It is also a radiant point for the Geminid meteor showers, which occur every year in mid-December. The Geminid meteor shower is regarded as one of the greatest of the year. While the Geminid meteors appear to be unusually bright, they are best seen when there is no full moon in the night sky.
In This Article...
Meteor shower tonight: When does the Geminid meteor shower reach its peak?
According to the Almanac, the Geminid meteor shower will be very visible this month on December 13 throughout the late night hours and early morning hours on December 14. You’ll be able to see it before and after the peak hours because it’ll be visible from December 4 to December 16. It should be emphasized, however, that the weather conditions in your area must be favorable.
Almost every corner of India would be able to see the event. For a better viewing experience, people interested in witnessing the Geminid meteor showers should opt for a location with the least amount of light pollution. Fortunately, binoculars or telescopes are not required to observe the event.
Also read | For The First Time, NASA Shares Sights Captured By Hubble In 30 Years From The Caldwell Catalog
Also read: Raja Chari, an Indian-American, is one of 18 people chosen for NASA’s Manned Moon Mission.
What is the current position of Gemini in the sky?
Most people only see two bright stars in the constellation Gemini Castor and Pollux, also known as the Gemini twins. These two celebrities aren’t identical twins. The hue of Pollux is brighter and more golden. Castor is a tad lighter and whiter. However, both stars are bright, and their proximity on the sky’s dome makes them stand out. People have imagined they looked like brother stars since the dawn of mankind.
Best viewing for this constellation
The months of January, February, and March are ideal for stargazing. At nightfall, Gemini is high in the east. Gemini reaches its peak point in the sky about 10 p.m. local time in early February. Around 9 p.m. in late February, the constellation is at its brightest. That is local time, or the time on your clock, regardless of where you are on the planet.
Until approximately May, Gemini is visible in the evening sky. Gemini lies low in the west at nightfall by late May and early June, and Gemini’s two brightest stars, Castor and Pollux, vanish into the sunset before the June 21 summer solstice. From roughly June 21 to July 20, the sun passes in front of Gemini once a year.
Myths and lore
Castor and Pollux were the offspring of a mortal mother, Leda, according to legend. Castor, the human son of Tyndareus, and Pollux, the immortal son of Zeus, were brothers. Castor and Pollux were joyously connected in soul, but their lives were torn apart by circumstance. When Castor was killed in battle, Pollux was heartbroken and implored Zeus to free him from his immortality chains. Pollux and Castor are reunited in the sky to this day, a testament to the redeeming power of sibling love, as Zeus accepted his request.
As a result, the Greek tale of Castor and Pollux explores the inherited duality of life, the eternal intertwining of death and immortality.
Here’s how to find Gemini from constellation Orion
If you look into the night sky in February, there’s a strong chance you’ll see the constellation Orion the Hunter. Orion is high in the south on February evenings in the Northern Hemisphere.
The Belt stars of Orion are a short, straight row of three medium-bright stars. Rigel, an extremely bright blue-white star, may be found below Orion’s Belt. Do you see it? Look above Orion’s Belt for Betelgeuse, a reddish star. Do you see what I mean? Castor and Pollux can be found by drawing an imaginary line from Rigel through Betelgeuse. Keep in mind that you’ll want to look for two bright stars that are obviously close together.
Here’s how to find constellation Gemini using the Big Dipper
The Big Dipper is an asterism, or a pattern of stars in the shape of a dipper. It is not a genuine constellation. On the sky’s dome, the Big Dipper is always pointed northward. Draw an imaginary line from the star Megrez to the star Merak diagonally through the bowl of the Big Dipper. You’re heading in the opposite direction of the Big Dipper’s handle. Castor and Pollux will be indicated by this line.
You can also use the moon to find Gemini.
Every month, the moon swings full circle through the zodiac constellations, passing through Gemini for a few days. Check EarthSky Tonight for posts showing the moon near Castor and Pollux on specific days, especially in the months of January, February, and March. The next time it happens will be on April 18 and 19, 2021.
Play around with Stellarium, an online planetarium application. It can tell you when the moon is in Gemini each month (except during those months when Gemini is behind the sun).
Spotting Sirius when Gemini is high in the sky
Gemini and Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky, reach their greatest peaks in the sky around the same time. The brightest stars in Gemini, Castor and Pollux, are practically overhead in middle latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere, while Sirius shines low in our southern sky. The opposite is true south of the equator: Sirius glows brightly while Gemini hangs low in the northern sky.
Bottom line: The greatest seasons to gaze for the constellation Gemini in the night sky are during the winter and spring. The brightest stars in Gemini, Castor and Pollux, are twin brothers from Greek and Roman mythology.
Is Gemini a sign that can be seen in December?
This December, the famous Geminid meteor shower will shower brilliant shooting stars. However, the Geminids aren’t likely to have a particularly magnificent year in 2021, as the shower’s peak on December 13-14 falls just a few days before the full moon.
Is Gemini visible during the cold months?
Gemini is a constellation that lies between Taurus and Cancer, with Auriga and Lynx to the north, Monoceros and Canis Minor to the south, and Orion to the south-west.
Cancer was the location of the Sun on the first day of summer in classical antiquity (June 21). Axial precession pushed it into Gemini during the first century AD. The Sun migrated from Gemini to Taurus on the first day of summer in 1990, and it will stay there until the 27th century AD, when it will move into Aries. From June 21 to July 20, 2062, the Sun will pass through Gemini.
Gemini is a prominent constellation in the northern hemisphere’s winter skies, visible throughout the night in December and January. Finding the constellation’s two brightest stars Castor and Pollux eastward from Taurus’ iconic V-shaped asterism (the open cluster Hyades) and the three stars of Orion’s Belt is the easiest method to find it (Alnitak, Alnilam, and Mintaka). Another option is to mentally draw a line from the Pleiades star cluster in Taurus and Regulus, the brightest star in Leo. An imaginary line is constructed that intersects Gemini roughly near the center of the constellation, right below Castor and Pollux, and is quite close to the ecliptic.
The Moon’s passage across Gemini can be plainly witnessed in a single night as it appears west of Castor and Pollux, then aligns, and then appears east of them.
When does Gemini appear?
Gemini is a northern constellation dominated by Castor and Pollux, the two brightest stars. It is visible throughout the northern winter months, peaking around New Year’s Eve at midnight.
The galactic plane and the ecliptic line both pass through this region of the sky: just after the June solstice, the Sun crosses the boundary from Taurus and remains in Gemini until late July.
The name ‘Gemini’ is Latin meaning twins and refers to the Greek gods Castor and Pollux.
Their mother was Leda, but their fathers were different. Castor was the son of Tyndareus, the Spartan ruler, while Pollux was Zeus’ son.
Castor was killed in a family fight with his cousins, but Pollux was an immortal demigod, according to tradition. Following his brother’s death, Zeus offered Pollux the option of sharing his immortality with him, and the two were flung into the sky for all eternity.
Where can you see Gemini?
Even for amateur astronomers, Gemini is a rather straightforward constellation to see in the sky. It is situated northeast of the constellation Orion and between the constellations Taurus and Cancer. The best time to visit is in February. By April and May, the constellation can be seen in the west shortly after sunset.
The twins’ heads are represented by the brightest stars in the constellation, which are also named after Greek mythology’s Castor and Pollux, while the twins’ bodies are outlined by fainter stars. According to NASA, Pollux, a red giant star, is 33 light-years away from Earth, whereas Castor is 51 light-years away. (A light-year is the distance traveled by light in one year, which is approximately 6 trillion miles (9.6 trillion kilometers.) Castor has two partner stars, whereas Pollux has at least one huge planet around it.
I’m looking for a Gemini.
Look for Gemini near the constellations Orion (which has its own set of intriguing views) and Taurus in the sky. It’s a winter star pattern for northern hemisphere observers, and its two brightest stars, Castor and Pollux, are part of an unofficial asterism known as the Winter Hexagon. Six bright stars from the constellations Gemini, Orion, Canis Major, Canis Minor, and Taurus make up this pattern. Gemini appears to be two long strings of stars reaching down from the twins’ heads, Castor and Pollux. The easiest approach to find it is to seek for Castor and Pollux east of the vee-shaped Hyades cluster on Taurus the Bull’s face. The best views of this star pattern are early in the new year, when it is directly overhead. It can be seen until late in the spring, when it fades into the sunset glow.
Tonight, where can I watch the comet?
Comet Leonard, also known as Comet C/2021 A1, will be seen from the Northern Hemisphere as it approaches Venus, dubbed the “evening star” by some. The comet can be seen in the southwest sky immediately after the sun sets, extremely low above the horizon.
The comet will pass close to Venus tonight at 9:08 p.m. EST, making its closest visit to the bright planet (Dec. 18 at 0208 GMT). The comet is projected to pass Venus at a distance of 2.6 million miles (4.2 million kilometers). On Dec. 12, the brilliant comet made its closest approach to Earth, passing within 21 million miles of the planet (34 million kilometers). According to EarthSky, Venus’ brightness and prominence in the night sky may aid skywatchers in locating Comet Leonard.
In which direction should I gaze to catch a glimpse of the meteor shower?
On Monday night and early Tuesday morning, Earth will pass through the debris trail of a shattered comet. It’s possible that a new meteor shower will form as a result.
Night sky viewers in North America have the best chance of viewing the tau Herculid shower, with NASA recommended looking up around 1 a.m. on the East Coast and 10 p.m. on the West Coast. There will be no moonlight to conceal the meteors because the moon is young.
What is the December meteor shower?
Every year between December 4 and 16, the Geminids peak the night of December 13 into the morning of December 14. This is the “peak” of the shower, when the most meteors per hour fall. Expect to see an average of 75 meteors per hour during the peak of the Geminid meteor shower, which is the most active of the year! The show usually begins at 9 p.m., peaks at 2 a.m., and continues into the next day’s morning hours.
What Is the Geminid Meteor Shower?
The Geminid meteor shower is one of the year’s most active and consistent meteor showers! Throughout the night, they streak through the sky every minute or two.
Because the constellation Gemini rises only an hour or two after nightfall, the meteors are visible all night long. To get the finest view of most meteor showers, you’ll have to wait until after midnight or early in the morning.
The Geminid meteor shower’s radiant is the constellation Gemini, which implies it is the meteor shower’s point of origin. Geminid meteors will appear to fall away from Gemini’s constellation.
Because Gemini rises so early, Geminid meteors can be viewed all night, however Gemini is at its highest position (providing ideal viewing) at 2 a.m.
When is Gemini visible in the Northern Hemisphere?
Gemini, the Twins, is visible from November to April in the Northern Hemisphere and from December to March in the Southern Hemisphere.