What is the colour of Castor?
Castor is a main star in the constellation Gemini and makes up the constellation outline. Based on the spectral type (A2Vm) of the star, the Castor colour is blue - white . Castor is the 24th brightest star in the night sky and the 2nd brightest star in Gemini based on the Hipparcos 2007 apparent magnitude.
What type of star system is Castor?
The Castor System. It is an eclipsing binary with additional variations due to areas of different brightness on the surface of one or both stars, as well as irregular flares. All three of the visual components are spectroscopic binaries and Castor is a complex multiple star system made up of six individual stars.
What is Castor AB?
Castor AB is a pair of A-type stars that orbit each other. Around each of these stars is an invisible dwarf star. South of this pair is YY Gem, another binary composed of two dwarf stars. (Image credit: European Space Agency/EPIC team)
Is Castor a spectroscopic binary?
All three of the visual components are spectroscopic binaries and Castor is a complex multiple star system made up of six individual stars. Castor A and B both have orbits of a few days with a much fainter companion. The Castor C components orbit in less than a day.
What type of stars are Castor and Pollux?
Pollux, at 33 light years distant, is an evolved red giant star twice as massive as our Sun. Castor, at 51 light years distant, is a blue main sequence star about 2.7 times more massive that our Sun.
Is Castor a binary star?
Castor's complex star system Castor is three pairs of binary stars – six stars in all – in a complex dance around a common center of mass. Even a fairly small telescope will show Castor as two stars.
Is Castor a star or a constellation?
GeminiCastor / ConstellationCastor, also called Alpha Geminorum, multiple star having six component stars, in the zodiacal constellation Gemini. The stars Castor and Pollux are named for the twins of Greek mythology. Castor's combined apparent visual magnitude is 1.58.
What is the Castor star made up of?
Castor, Alpha Geminorum (α Gem), is a sextuple star system located in the constellation Gemini. It is composed of three binary pairs designated Castor A, Castor B and Castor C. The Castor sextet has a combined apparent magnitude of 1.58 and is listed as the 23rd brightest star in the sky.
Who is binary star?
Binary Star is a hip-hop project by rapper One Be Lo, and formerly a duo with rapper Senim Silla.
Is Castor a single star?
Physical Characteristics. Castor appears significantly bluer than Pollux. Castor, a prime ornament of the Gemini constellation and one of the brightest stars in the sky, is actually a system of stars with six unique members.
What are the 4 types of constellations?
The 88 Constellations recognized by the International Astronomical UnionConstellationType2AntliaScientific3ApusAnimal4AquariusZodiac5AquilaMyth/Legend71 more rows
What is a 6 star?
Six-star rank, an extremely senior rank, rarely held. A grading of a hotel, restaurant, movie, TV, theatre or musical work or performance - see star (classification)
What star is Orion's eye?
As a result of its distinctive orange-red color and position within Orion, Betelgeuse is easy to find with the naked eye. It is one of three stars that make up the Winter Triangle asterism, and it marks the center of the Winter Hexagon.
Is Castor the brightest star?
Castor is the second-brightest object in the zodiac constellation of Gemini. It has the Bayer designation α Geminorum, which is Latinised to Alpha Geminorum and abbreviated Alpha Gem or α Gem. With an apparent visual magnitude of 1.93, it is one of the brightest stars in the night sky.
Is Castor harmful to humans?
Ricin is a poison found naturally in castor beans. If castor beans are chewed and swallowed, the released ricin can cause injury.
What is the star Bellatrix made up of?
Bellatrix (Gamma (γ) Orionis) is a B2 III type star, B2 indicating it's a hot blue coloured star. Its temperature is 22,000K, some 3.7 times hotter than our own Sun. The III indicates that it's a giant star although it's actually a hydrogen-fusing dwarf with a mass equivalent to nine Suns.
What are examples of binary stars?
Examples of binaries are Sirius, and Cygnus X-1 (Cygnus X-1 being a well-known black hole). Binary stars are also common as the nuclei of many planetary nebulae, and are the progenitors of both novae and type Ia supernovae.
Are Pollux and Castor binary stars?
Castor appears singular to the naked eye, but it is actually a sextuple star system organized into three binary pairs. Although it is the 'α' (alpha) member of the constellation, it is fainter than 'β' (beta) Geminorum, Pollux.
Are there any binary stars?
Actually most stars are in binary systems. Perhaps up to 85% of stars are in binary systems with some in triple or even higher-multiple systems. The orbital periods and distances of binaries vary enormously.
Which 2 stars in the Big Dipper are binaries?
In ancient times, people with exceptional vision discovered that one of the bright- est stars in the Big Dipper was, in fact, two stars so close together that most people cannot distinguish them. The two stars, Alcor and Mizar, were the first binary stars— a pair of stars that orbit each other—ever known.
What constellation is Castor in?
Castor, Alpha Geminorum (α Gem), is a sextuple star system located in the constellation Gemini. It is composed of three binary pairs designated Castor A, Castor B and Castor C. The Castor sextet has a combined apparent magnitude of 1.58 and is listed as the 23rd brightest star in the sky. It is slightly fainter than Regulus in Leo ...
What are the components of the castor system?
The Castor system consists of three double stars, with individual components designated as Alpha Geminorum (or Castor) Aa, Ab, Ba, Bb, Ca and Cb. All three visual components – Castor A, Castor B and Castor C – are spectroscopic binaries, pairs of stars locked in tight orbits. They appear as single stars and can only be identified as binary systems ...
Which star is closer to Capella?
Castor is the northern star, closer to Capella (the brightest star in a hexagonal asterism that dominates the constellation Auriga ), while Pollux lies to the south, in the direction of Procyon and Sirius.
How long does it take for a castor to orbit?
Castor A and Castor B have a period of 445 years and Castor AB and Castor C complete an orbit every 14,000 years. Individual components have much shorter orbital periods: 9.2128 days for Castor Aa and Castor Ab, 2.9283 days for Castor Ba and Castor Bb, and only 0.814 days for Castor Ca and Castor Cb.
How far away is Castor from Earth?
Castor lies at an approximate distance of 51 light years from Earth.
What is the orbital speed of Castor?
The stars have projected rotational velocities of 18 km/s (Castor Aa) and 33 km/s (Castor Ba).
How are stars bound to each other?
All six stars are bound to each other by gravity and share a common motion through space . The components of each of the three binary systems orbit each other and the three binary pairs also circle around each other in a total of five orbits. Castor A and Castor B have a period of 445 years and Castor AB and Castor C complete an orbit every 14,000 years. Individual components have much shorter orbital periods: 9.2128 days for Castor Aa and Castor Ab, 2.9283 days for Castor Ba and Castor Bb, and only 0.814 days for Castor Ca and Castor Cb.
What constellation is Castor in?
Castor: The Sextuplet Set of Stars. Castor is a bright star in the constellation Gemini that, along with Pollux, is one of the two main guideposts for the asterism that is sometimes nicknamed "The Twins.". At magnitude 1.58, Castor is the 20th brightest star in Earth's night sky. It is also relatively close to the planet, ...
What is the meaning of the name Castor?
Castor and Gemini in mythology and history. The name "Castor" flows from Greek and Latin mythology (the name is Latin, while the mythology is from both cultures). According to legend, Castor and his brother, Pollux, were both believed to be twin gods who assisted sailors who were shipwrecked, and who also were willing to entertain gifts ...
How many stars are in the Castor system?
Telescopic observations of Castor began to reveal a more complicated story of the single star. Today, NASA says the system is made up of six stars:
How far is Castor from Earth?
At magnitude 1.58, Castor is the 20th brightest star in Earth's night sky. It is also relatively close to the planet, at an estimated distance of 51 light-years from Earth. A closer examination of the star with a telescope actually reveals it is made up of many. What naked-eye observers see as Castor is actually the combined light of six stars, ...
What is the name of the pair of stars that whip around each other?
A pair of stars just south of the Castor AB complex, called YY Gem. This is also a binary system with two dwarfs that whip in their respective orbits around each other every 19 hours.
What telescopes are used to see binary stars?
In 2000, the European Space Agency's XMM-Newton orbiting telescope' s EPIC camera revealed that these binary stars are also large sources of X-rays with temperatures in the millions of degrees, NASA stated.
How many stars are in the sextuplet?
Castor the sextuplet. Telescopic observations of Castor began to reveal a more complicated story of the single star. Today, NASA says the system is made up of six stars: A pair of stars just south of the Castor AB complex, called YY Gem.
What are the names of the twins in the constellation of Gemini?
The stars Castor and Pollux in Gemini, the zodiac’s most northerly constellation, present a striking sight in the night sky, and have been included in many legends across the world. In ancient Greece, for instance, they represented the twin son’s of Queen Leda of Sparta, with Pollux being the immortal offspring of the adulterous Zeus, while his brother Castor was the son of King Tyndareus, and therefore moral. Together the twins were inseparable, and their many adventures were legendary, including joining Jason and the Argonauts on their quest to find the Golden Fleece.
What is the name of the star that marks out the heads of the Heavenly Twins?
Castor (Alpha Geminorum) is the “other” star that marks out the “heads” of the Heavenly Twins in the constellation Gemini, the other being Pollux (Beta Geminorum). Even though Castor is the least luminous of the pair and only the 23rd brightest star in the night sky, compared to the 17th brightest for Pollux, it still revels in being assigned the constellation’s “alpha” designation . Another distinction between the two stars is that while Pollux is a single star, Castor , on the other hand, is a multiple star system consisting of three spectroscopic binary pairs of stars.
How many light years does Castor A and B orbit each other?
All three visual components of the Castor system are in fact close spectroscopic binaries, with Castor A and B separated by an average of 104 AU, or 15 light years, and orbiting each other every 445 years, while Castor C is separated from the principal Castor AB pair by a distance of about 1000 AU, and orbits them over a 14,000 year period. In terms of the three individual systems, Castor A and B have fainter companions which orbit them over a few days, while Castor C has a companion with an orbital period of less than a day.
Why does Castor C have different luminosities?
Interestingly, the regular variations in the luminosity of Castor C was at first thought to be the result of the two stars eclipsing each other, but recent studies are suggesting that these variations are caused by areas on the surface of one (or perhaps both stars) that have different luminosities. As a result, Castor C now has the variable star designation YY Geminorum.
What are the properties of the two main sequence stars?
The two principal pairs of stars each consist of a hot A-type main sequence star, that are both more massive and luminous than the Sun , and a cool red dwarf, whose physical properties are difficult to determine given their close proximity to their primaries, although the dwarfs are thought to be only about 50% as massive as the Sun. By contrast, the two red dwarfs that make up Castor C are almost identical, each having about 50% of the Sun’s mass, giving them luminosities of around 10% (or less) that of the Sun. It is worth noting though that all four red dwarfs in the Castor system show strong emission lines in their spectra, and that all four dwarfs are flare stars, which are a class of variable stars that exhibit sudden and dramatic fluctuations in brightness over periods of only a few minutes.
Where can I see Gemini?
The constellation of Gemini can be seen from between latitudes of +90° and -60°, where it occupies an area of 514 square degrees of the northern skies . Observers from mid-northern latitudes can observe Gemini, and by extension, both Castor and Pollux, from January to around the beginning of May relatively high in the sky. By late May, or the beginning of June, Gemini has sunk low over the west-north-western horizon just after sunset, and at around the time of the summer solstice on June 21st, both Castor and Pollux become difficult to spot after sunset. The best time to view Gemini and its two brightest stars is in January and February, when the Twins stand virtually upright at around 5 A.M. Local Time. Note however that the constellation sets two hours earlier every month after February.
Who was the head of the foremost twin?
Elsewhere around the world, Castor was known to the Arabs as Al-Ras al-Taum al-Muqadim, meaning “the head of the foremost twin”, although a later catalogue compiled by Egyptian astronomer Al Achsasi al Mouakket called the Calendarium listed Castor as ”Aoul al Dzira”, or “the first in the paw”.
What constellation is Castor?
Castor is a A2VM main sequence star based on the spectral type that was recorded in the Hipparcos star catalogue. Castor is a main star in the constellation Gemini and makes up the constellation outline. Based on the spectral type (A2Vm) of the star, the star's colour is blue - white .
How big is the radius of a star?
The Sun's radius is 695,800km, therefore the star's radius is an estimated 1,974,647.80.km. If you need the diameter of the star, you just need to multiple the radius by 2. However with the 2007 release of updated Hipparcos files, the radius is now calculated at being round 2.81. The figure is derived at by using the formula from SDSS rather than peer reviewed papers. It has been known to produce widely incorrect figures.
What is the amount of energy that a star pumps out?
Luminosity is the amount of energy that a star pumps out and its relative to the amount that our star, the Sun gives out. The figure of 53.40 that I have given is based on the value in the Simbad Hipparcos Extended Catalogue at the University of Strasbourg from 2012.
What is the temperature of a star?
Based on the spectral type, we can deduce that the surface temperature of the star is in the order of between 7,500 and 10,000K based on the notes from Harvard University. To put this in context, the temperature of our Sun is about 5,778 Kelvin as said by Google.
How many stars are in Castor?
Castor is one of the larger Multiple Star System so far discovered with six stars. The system is only beaten by Jabbah in the constellation of Scorpius and AR Cassiopeiae in the constellation of Cassiopeia which each of them have seven stars. The format of the star system is below. It is not drawn to scale, just drawn to illustrate. You will notice that there are no central main star, they operate a three pairs of Binary Star System moving around a central point of Gravity.
How far is a star from the Sun in 2007?
Using the 2007 distance, the star is roughly 3,217,708.56 Astronomical Units from the Earth/Sun give or take a few. An Astronomical Unit is the distance between Earth and the Sun. The number of A.U. is the number of times that the star is from the Earth compared to the Sun.
What is the lowest magnitude of a star?
Our own Sun is the brightest star and therefore has the lowest of all magnitudes, -26.74. A faint star will have a high number.
Star System
Facts
- In 1970, Castor A and Castor B were separated by less than 2 arcseconds. The separation between the stars increased to about 6 arcseconds by 2017 and will continue to grow to a maximum of 6.5 arcseconds around the year 2100. The English astronomer James Pound was the first to note Castor as a double star, in 1718. However, it is possible that Italian-French astro…
Name
- Castor is the star’s traditional name, long predating the Bayer designation Alpha Geminorum. It is taken from Castor, one of the Dioscuri (Twins) in Greek and Roman mythology. Castor and its brighter neighbour Pollux mark the heads of the celestial Twins, giving the constellation Geminiits name. The name formally applies only to Alpha Geminorum Aa, but is informally used for the ent…
Castor and Pollux
- The stars Castor and Pollux are very different – Castor is a sextuple system, while Polluxis a single star, an orange giant – but they are linked by their proximity in the sky (they are about 18 light years apart) and by the myth of their Greek/Roman namesakes. In Greek mythology, Castor and Polydeuces (Pollux in Latin) were twin brothers born to different fathers. They are also know…
Location
- Castor is easy to find because it is bright and located near a prominent winter asterism known as the Winter Circle or Winter Hexagon, formed by Pollux, Capella, Aldebaran, Rigel, Sirius and Procyon. The asterism dominates the evening sky in northern latitudes throughout the winter months and makes it easy to identify the individual stars and their neighbours. Being close to Po…
Constellation
- Castor is located in the Greek constellation Gemini. Known since ancient times, the constellation takes its name from the myth of Castor and Pollux. It is associated with the Geminids, one of the richest annual meteor showers, peaking in mid-December every year. Gemini contains several interesting deep sky objects, including the bright, large open cluster Messier 35, the bright planet…