Star
Pollux
Orange star · K0IIIvar
β Geminorum · Gemini
Shown in its true colour — like most stars, it is too far away to photograph as more than a point of light.
Pollux is the brightest star in the constellation of Gemini. It has the Bayer designation β Geminorum, which is Latinised to Beta Geminorum and abbreviated Beta Gem or β Gem. This is an orange-hued red giant located at a distance of 34 light-years, making it the closest red giant to the Sun. Since 1943, the spectrum of this star has served as one of the stable anchor points by which other stars are classified. In 2006, an exoplanet was announced to be orbiting it.
Description from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
In your sky
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Key facts
Distance
~33.8 light-years
Apparent mag.
+1.16
Spectral type
K0IIIvar
Luminosity
32.1 × Sun
Absolute mag.
+1.08
Catalogue
HIP 37826
Spectral type
K0IIIvar
True colour from its B–V index (0.99): a surface around 4800 K.
Did you know
- Pollux is also known as β Geminorum.
- Its spectral type K0IIIvar marks it as a orange star.
- It lies in the constellation Gemini.
