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Castor
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Castor and Pollux
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Castor and Pollux
Castor and Pollux Castor and Pollux, sculpture in the Park of Versaille, France.

Castor

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Also known as: Alpha Geminorum
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Castor, multiple star having six component stars, in the zodiacal constellation Gemini. The stars Castor and Pollux are named for the twins of Greek mythology.

(List of Brightest Stars as Seen from Earth)

Why do twins represent Gemini?
Why do twins represent Gemini?Gemini is the third sign of the zodiac, said to govern between May 21 and June 21.
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Castor’s combined apparent visual magnitude is 1.58. It appears as a bright visual binary, of which both members are spectroscopic binaries. An additional two component stars form an eclipsing binary system of red dwarfs revolving around each other in less than a day and orbiting the four main stars in a period of 14,000 years. The system is 51.5 light-years from Earth.

View of the Andromeda Galaxy (Messier 31, M31).
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The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Erik Gregersen.