Gemini is one of the constellations of the zodiac and belongs to the 88 modern constellations.

According to the tropical astrology the sun transits Gemini from May 22 to June 20 while in the sidereal astrology it travels between June 16 and July 15. Astrologically, this is associated with the planet Mercury.

The name of Gemini constellation comes from the Latin for twins. This constellation lies between Taurus to the west and Cancer to the east. Gemini can be observed at night during January and February, soon after sunset in April and May and then by mid August at the eastern horizon in the morning before sunrise.

Dimensions: 514 square degrees. Described by Ptolemy.

Brightness: Quite a bright constellation with 4 stars brighter than magnitude 3.

History: This constellation is said to represent the twin brothers Castor and Pollux from the Greek mythology. Another depiction would be that of Apollo and Hercules.

Stars: There are two main bright stars, named Castor and Pollux that are relatively close one to another. The twin from right above is Castor and the twin left below is Pollux. Each one of these stars is composed by others stars that include alpha Gem and beta Gem. In total, this constellation has about 85 stars that are visible to the naked eye.

Galaxies: There are a few deep sky objects such as the Eskimo Nebula, Medusa Nebula and Geminga. The first two are both planetary nebulae while Geminga is a neutron star.

Meteor showers: There are the Geminids that take place in December with a peak on December 13, 14. It can reach up to 100 meteors per hour, therefore being ranked one of the richest meteor showers.