Star profile
Nu Geminorum
Hot blue starWhat is Nu Geminorum
Nu Geminorum shines blue at 545 light-years, on the flank of the Twins facing the winter Milky Way. Its B-type spectrum betrays a young, massive, intensely hot star burning through its hydrogen far faster than our own Sun will ever manage. The light reaching us tonight set out before Gutenberg's press had even left the workshops of Mainz, crossing five centuries of human history before settling on a single retina.
Where it is and when to see it
Nu Geminorum 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, when it culminates around midnight.
- From London it culminates about 59° above the horizon.
- From New York it culminates about 70° above the horizon.
- From Sydney it culminates about 36° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere north of 70° S.
It ranks no. 16 in brightness among the 74 stars of Gemini in our catalogue. To find it, start from Pollux, the brightest: it lies about 19° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 540 years ago.
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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 Nu Geminorum
- Constellation
- Gemini
- Apparent magnitude
- 4.13
- Distance
- 544.6 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 97.241° · Dec 20.212°
- Catalogue
- HIP 30883 · HD 45542
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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
- Iota Geminorum3.78
- MekbudaZeta Geminorum4.01
- Upsilon Geminorum4.06
- 1 Geminorum4.16
- Rho Geminorum4.16