Home > Constellations, Mythology, Observing > Ephemeris: 03/12/24 – The story of the twins of Gemini

Ephemeris: 03/12/24 – The story of the twins of Gemini

March 12, 2024

This is Bob Moler with Ephemeris for Tuesday, March 12th. Today the Sun will be up for 11 hours and 46 minutes, setting at 7:45, and it will rise tomorrow at 7:57. The Moon, 2 days past new, will set at 11:07 this evening.

A week ago I talked about how to find the constellation of Gemini the twins above and to the left of the constellation Orion. Today I’ll talk about their story. Gemini the twins are fraternal twins, Castor and Pollux. Their namesake stars are the brightest in Gemini, with Castor above and the brighter Pollux below and left. Pollux was fathered by the god Zeus who raped his mother in the Leda and the Swan incident, while Castor was fathered by a mortal. They both went on the quest for the Golden Fleece with Jason and the Argonauts. Unfortunately Castor was killed. Pollux loved his brother so much he petitioned Zeus for him to die also and join Castor in the underworld. Instead, Zeus placed them both in the sky where we see them as Gemini.

The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT–4 hours). They may be different for your location.

Addendum

Finder chart for Gemini for about 8 pm tonight, March 12. Showing the stars without annotations, then with lines, then with Gemini art provided by Stellarium. Created using Stellarium, LibreOffice Draw, and GIMP.
An uncredited photograph of a statue of Castor and Pollux. I don’t know which one is which.
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