- Stars with a name
- Pollux
Pollux
β Geminorum
Pollux is an orange giant, in the constellation Gemini. The light you see from it tonight left it around 1992.
Where to find it
From mid-northern latitudes, such as New York, Rome or Tokyo, it is best seen in the evening sky in January, February, March, April, and December.
Bright enough to see even from a city. Apparent magnitude 1.16.
What it’s like
It gives off 32 times as much light as the Sun.
Its surface is at about 4,800 degrees.
It is 33.8 light years away: 320 trillion kilometres.
It is the star of people born around 1992: the light that left it then is reaching Earth now.