Star profile
Propus
Eta Geminorum · Gemini
Variable starWhat is Propus
Propus, in the constellation of Gemini, is a variable red giant 385 light-years from the Earth, one of the more capricious stars of the winter sky in the northern hemisphere. Its name, taken directly from ancient Greek, means «the foot set forward»: it marks with quiet symbolic precision the stride of one of the two celestial twins in their endless joint march. Its light fluctuates slowly, and until a few decades ago it was one of the stars that amateur astronomers patiently watched, with exemplary care, for the smallest shifts in brightness from the balcony at home.
Where it is and when to see it
Propus lies in the northern celestial hemisphere. It is visible to the naked eye under a dark sky. Its best month of the year is December: the Sun sits at the opposite point of the sky and the star culminates around midnight. How high it climbs above the horizon depends on the latitude you watch from.
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The signature wall
Stelvia's sky works like a signature wall: anyone can leave their name and a message on a real star, and that signature goes up on the map for everyone to read. Signing is free.
A signature without a lock can be replaced by someone else's. The lock makes the signature permanent and lets you choose a symbolic name for the star, always shown next to the star's catalogue identifier. How the lock works
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A public signature from a real person. The chosen name is a symbolic denomination within Stelvia, with no official standing or IAU recognition: the sky is not for sale and belongs to no one.
Astronomical data for Propus
- Constellation
- Gemini
- Apparent magnitude
- 3.31
- Distance
- 384.7 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 93.719° · Dec 22.507°
- Catalogue
- HIP 29655 · HD 42995
A symbolic commemorative gift: neither the signature nor the chosen name implies ownership of the star or recognition by the IAU.
Other stars in Gemini
Gemini has 74 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
- PolluxBeta Geminorum1.16
- CastorAlpha Geminorum1.58
- AlhenaGamma Geminorum1.93
- Castor BAlpha Geminorum2.85
- TejatMu Geminorum2.87
- MebsutaEpsilon Geminorum3.06
- AlzirrXi Geminorum3.35
- WasatDelta Geminorum3.50