Star profile
Chi Geminorum
What is Chi Geminorum
Chi Geminorum is an orange K2 giant whose surface burns at only 4,540 K, a thousand degrees cooler than the Sun. At 256 light-years it is also a spectroscopic binary: a companion invisible to telescopes betrays itself only through the swaying spectral lines of the primary. It shines in the Twins, the zodiac constellation where Castor and Pollux mark the two ends of the old Greek myth of brotherhood.
Where it is and when to see it
Chi 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 January, when it culminates around midnight.
- From London it culminates about 66° above the horizon.
- From New York it culminates about 77° above the horizon.
- From Sydney it culminates about 28° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere north of 62° S.
It ranks no. 25 in brightness among the 74 stars of Gemini in our catalogue. To find it, start from Pollux, the brightest: it lies about 4° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 260 years ago.
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Astronomical data for Chi Geminorum
- Constellation
- Gemini
- Apparent magnitude
- 4.94
- Distance
- 256.2 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 120.880° · Dec 27.794°
- Catalogue
- HIP 39424 · HD 66216
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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
- 38 Geminorum4.73
- JishuiOmicron Geminorum4.89
- 81 Geminorum4.89
- Phi Geminorum4.97
- 65 Geminorum5.01