February at a glance

As Orion slowly but surely drifts to the west, he’s followed by the fainter constellations of spring. Extend a line from Rigel at Orion’s southwest corner, through Betelgeuse in the northeast, for twice the distance to arrive at Castor (Alpha (a) Geminorum) and Pollux (Beta (b) Geminorum) in Gemini, the Twins. These bright stars represent the heads of the Twins and, although they appear similar at first, have subtle differences. Pollux to the south is marginally brighter than Castor and has a slightly redder hue. There are other differences too. Through a telescope, Castor appears as a tight double but, in reality, there are six stars in this system – a classic sextuplet. Pollux is a single star known to have a planet in orbit around it. With a mass…

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The Astronomer's Yearbook (Digital) - 1 Issue, Astronomer's Yearbook 2022

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