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Pollux
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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.

Pollux

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Also known as: Beta Geminorum
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Pollux, brightest star in the zodiacal constellation Gemini. A reddish giant star, it has an apparent visual magnitude of 1.15. The stars Castor and Pollux are named for the mythological twins. Pollux is 33.7 light-years from Earth.

(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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In 2006 a planet, Pollux b, was discovered. Pollux b has nearly three times the mass of Jupiter, orbits Pollux every 590 days, and is at an average distance of 253 million km (157 million miles).

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.