Constellation Gemini for children. Interesting facts about the constellation

Characteristic figures formed in the sky by bright stars, in ancient times it was customary to call constellations. With their appearance, beautiful legends and great prophecies were associated. One of the most unusual is the constellation Gemini. Interesting facts about him will be outlined in this article.

Description of the constellation

The story of the constellation Gemini should begin with its description. This section of the starry sky is located perpendicular to the Milky Way. The luminaries from which it consists form the shape of an almost ideal rectangle. On a clear night, about seventy stars can be seen with the naked eye. The brightest of them are called Castor ("coachman") and Pollux ("fist fighter"). The remaining luminaries form two parallel rows of chains. In the night sky it's hard to see a picture that was often painted in ancient starry atlases: two inseparable twin brothers hug each other. Do not show you such an image and modern constellation schemes.

In fact, Castor is a complex system of several luminaries. His distance to the Sun is almost 46 light years. Pollux is a yellow-orange giant, whose luminosity is thirty-five times higher than the solar one. He is much colder than his heavenly "brother." In order to fly to this star, a person will need to overcome thirty-five light years.

Interesting objects. U Gemini

In the constellation Gemini are very interesting objects. Some of them can be seen with the naked eye. Here often there are changes, causing close attention of scientists. For example, U (ipsilon) Gemini has unusual properties. It is the so-called variable of the cipheid, that is, the luminary that periodically changes its brightness. This happens every 102 days due to the powerful explosions that occur on its surface. If you open the constellation diagrams and study them carefully, you can see that this star is in the place where the "heart" of Pollux should be located.

Interesting objects. Meteors and nebulae

Next to Castor in Gemini, there is a radiant of a meteor stream called Geminids. It can be seen from December 7 to December 15. The highest density of meteors is observed on December 13. Their number increases to 60 pieces per hour.

Near the stars of Mu and Zeta Gemini with the naked eye you can see a weak spot. This cluster (M35) of 120 stars, which is interesting to observe through a telescope or binoculars. It is located in 830 parsecs from the Sun.

Another interesting object to study is the Clown Nebula, or the Eskimo (NGC 2392). With such imaginative naming, scientists named a star of the tenth magnitude, surrounded by a uniform and bright dusty shell. It is located at a distance of 2900 light years from the Sun.

History of research

Since ancient times travelers have been guided by stars and seafarers. Different nations gave different names to the heavenly bodies. However, two bright stars, located side by side, people have always considered inextricably linked. The Greek legend of the constellation of Gemini says that these luminaries, the brothers Dioscuri - Castor and Pollux (Polydeuces) - the sons of the Spartan king Tindareus and the Olympic god Zeus. This section of the starry sky is included in the astronomical catalog "Almagest" compiled by Claudius Ptolemy in 140 AD. The ancient Babylonians also saw in the constellation an inseparable pair. They called the brightest stars in it "shepherd and warrior". The Thracians believed that these stars are twins and help mariners find their way home.

The history of astronomy connects Gemini with two important scientific discoveries. U. Herschel in 1781 found the planet Uranus next to the luminary Prous from this constellation. Another researcher, K.Tombo, in 1930 discovered Pluto, which is in the immediate vicinity of the star Vasat, also part of the Gemini.

Observation

How to find the constellation Gemini in the sky? For children this task may not be easy. However, it is quite easy to find it. The constellation clearly stands out in the night sky with an unusual characteristic pattern. A pair of parallel chains of stars, of which the Gemini consists, can be found in the north-east of Orion. The "parachute" constellation of the Charioteer must be located to the north-west. Twins enter the "parade" of the most notable constellations in the sky. They move to the west after Taurus and somewhat outstrip the Lion, which is to the east.

It is possible to see well what the Gemini constellation looks like in January and December. Every year on June 21, the Sun enters it. Then it is located high above the horizon and is also perfectly visible from all over our country.

Mythology. Birth of brothers

The legendary constellation Gemini is covered with myths and legends. For children it is especially interesting to get acquainted with old traditions. In ancient Greece, it was believed that the mother of the famous brothers was the wife of King Sparta, the formidable Tindarya. Her name was Leda. She was noted for her dazzling beauty and fascinated her not only with mortal people, but also with the Olympic gods. Zeus himself paid attention to it. To avoid conflict with his wife, the goddess of the family hearth Hero, Thunderbolt turned into a white swan and flew to Leda. Soon the woman gave birth to two children from God: the daughter of the Beautiful Helen, because of which the Trojan War began, and the son - Polidevka (Pollux). Leda later produced two more children from her husband: Castor's son and daughter Clytemnestra. Brothers from the very childhood were inseparable, but they were expected by a different fate. Zeus endowed Polidevka with immortality, while Castor remained a simple man.

Mythology. Heroic feats

The legend of the constellation Gemini says: after growing up, the brothers became real athletes. They performed many famous feats. The Dioscuri helped Jason retrieve the golden fleece. Castor was an unbeatable tamer and skillfully ran chariots. Pollux was known as an unbeaten fist fighter. The brothers always did everything together. One day they abducted the sisters Febu and Helayer, the daughters of King Livcup. The guys stole the girls right from under the crown and married them themselves. Polydeucus chose Phoebus, and Castor - Helayer. Since then, the brothers aparethides (Idas and Linkeis), whose Dioscuri kidnapped brides, have become their sworn enemies. Once Idas killed Castor in battle.

Mythology. Brotherly love

The final legend of the brothers tells how the constellation Gemini appeared in the sky. It is especially important for children to learn this part of the story, because it tells about selfless brotherly affection. After the death of Castor, Polydeucus asked Zeus to make him mortal. The hero was ready to live in the underground darkness of Hades, just to never be separated from his brother. The Thunderer was sorry to condemn his son to such a gloomy fate. He fulfilled the request of Polidevka, but he made sure that he spent one day on Olympus, and the other - in the realm of the dead. The ancient Greeks honored inseparable twins as patrons and defenders of people. Seeing the unbreakable affection of Polidevka and Castor, Zeus turned them into stars and placed them in the sky, so that they would remind them of their faithfulness and brotherly love.

Conclusion

In this article, we briefly attempted to describe the constellation Gemini. For children this is very useful information. It allows you to expand your horizons, learn to better orient yourself in the world around you. Knowledge of ancient myths gives a study of the starry sky poetic coloring. Study astronomy, and you will make many exciting discoveries!