Gemini - The Twins

Learn about the constellation Gemini - The Twins, location, facts, mythology, meteor showers and deep space objects.

One of the constellations of the zodiac is known as "the twins". It is part of the winter sky, lying between Taurus to the west and the dim Cancer to the east, with Auriga and the near-invisible Lynx to the north and Monoceros and Canis Minor to the south. The Gemini program is named for it.

Location: Northern Winter 7h RA 20° Dec

It contains many interesting nebulae and star clusters. NGC 2158 is just southeast of M35. Also of note is the unique Eskimo Nebula, (also known as the Clownface Nebula) just southeast of the NGC 2420 open star cluster. Far northeast of this cluster lies NGC 2371, a planetary nebula next to the Gemini twin on the right.

Gemini Mythology

This constellation is easily recognizable as two parallel stick figures and it was associated with the myth of Castor and Pollux. The myth of these twins concerns cattle theft and may be connected to early views of the Milky Way, as a herd of dairy cows or cattle, by which they are situated.

Gemini Deep Space Objects

Since the sky area of Gemini is directed away from the Milky Way, there are comparatively few deep-sky objects of note.

M35 (NGC 2168) is a large, elongated open cluster of magnitude 5.

The Eskimo Nebula or Clown Face Nebula (NGC 2392) is a planetary nebula with an overall magnitude of 9.2

The Medusa Nebula is another planetary nebula, some 1,500 light-years distant.

In this table, the observation month represents the month in which the object reaches its highest point in the sky. It can also be viewed a few months before and after depending on your location. Direction is the compass direction in which the object is located, with Z meaning Zenith or overhead.

#		Common Name	Constellation	Month	Coords	Direction	Mag	Size (arcmin)	Type	Star Chart
C39 NGC 2392		Eskimo Nebula	Gemini	Dec	07h 29.2m RA +20° 55m Dec	Z	10.00	48	Planetary Nebula	🔍︎
M35 NGC 2168		Shoe-Buckle Cluster	Gemini	Dec	06h 08.9m RA 24° 20m Dec	SE	5.30	28	Open Cluster	🔍︎