Position
in the Sky
Right Ascension: 7 hours Declination: 20 degrees Visible between latitudes
90 and -60 degrees Best seen in February (at 9:00 PM)
Gemini
is a zodiacal constellation representing the twin brothers Castor and Pollux.
Both were mothered by Leda, and were therefore brothers of Helen, but they had
different fathers: In one night, Leda was made pregnant both by Jupiter in the
form of a swan and by her husband, the king Tyndarus of Sparta. Pollux, as the
son of a god, was immortal and was renowned for his strength, while his mortal
brother Castor was famous for his skill with horses. Both brothers voyaged in
search of the Golden Fleece as Argonauts, and then fought in the Trojan War
to bring their sister home to her husband Menelaus. They are traditionally depicted
as armed with spears and riding a matched pair of snow-white horses.
