Zeta Geminorum (ζ Gem / ζ Geminorum) is a
starA star is a massive, luminous ball of plasma that is held together by gravity. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun, which is the source of most of the energy on Earth. Other stars are visible in the night sky, when they are not outshone by the Sun...
in the
constellationIn modern astronomy, a constellation is an area of the celestial sphere, defined by exact boundaries.The term "constellation" can also be used loosely to refer to just the more prominent visible stars that seem to form a pattern in that area.-Definitions:...
GeminiGemini is one of the constellations of the zodiac. Its name is Latin for "twins", and it is associated with the twins Castor and Pollux in Greek mythology. Its symbol is . It lies between Taurus to the west and the dim Cancer to the east, with Auriga and Lynx to the north and Monoceros and Canis...
. It has the traditional name
Mekbuda.
It is located on the outstretched left "leg" of the twin
PolluxPollux, also catalogued as Beta Geminorum , is an orange giant star approximately 34 light-years from Earth in the constellation of Gemini . Pollux is the brightest star in the constellation, brighter than Castor...
. It is a
Cepheid variableA Cepheid is a member of a class of pulsating variable stars. The relationship between a Cepheid variable's luminosity and pulsation period is quite precise, securing Cepheids as viable standard candles and the foundation of the Extragalactic Distance Scale.Typical classical Cepheids pulsate with...
star and as such has a variable
apparent magnitudeThe apparent magnitude of a celestial body is a measure of its brightness as seen by an observer on Earth, normalized to the value it would have in the absence of the atmosphere...
of +3.7 to +4.2, with period of approximately 10.2 days. The star is approximately 1200 light years from Earth. Mekbuda is a
supergiantSupergiants are among the most massive stars. In the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram they occupy the top region of the diagram. In the Yerkes spectral classification supergiants are class Ia or Ib . They typically have bolometric absolute magnitudes between -5 and -12...
.
The name Mekbuda has roots in ancient Arabic where it and the star Mebsuta (
Epsilon GeminorumEpsilon Geminorum is a star in the constellation of Gemini. It has the traditional name Mebsuta ....
) were the paws of a lion.
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Zeta Geminorum (ζ Gem / ζ Geminorum) is a
starA star is a massive, luminous ball of plasma that is held together by gravity. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun, which is the source of most of the energy on Earth. Other stars are visible in the night sky, when they are not outshone by the Sun...
in the
constellationIn modern astronomy, a constellation is an area of the celestial sphere, defined by exact boundaries.The term "constellation" can also be used loosely to refer to just the more prominent visible stars that seem to form a pattern in that area.-Definitions:...
GeminiGemini is one of the constellations of the zodiac. Its name is Latin for "twins", and it is associated with the twins Castor and Pollux in Greek mythology. Its symbol is . It lies between Taurus to the west and the dim Cancer to the east, with Auriga and Lynx to the north and Monoceros and Canis...
. It has the traditional name
Mekbuda.
It is located on the outstretched left "leg" of the twin
PolluxPollux, also catalogued as Beta Geminorum , is an orange giant star approximately 34 light-years from Earth in the constellation of Gemini . Pollux is the brightest star in the constellation, brighter than Castor...
. It is a
Cepheid variableA Cepheid is a member of a class of pulsating variable stars. The relationship between a Cepheid variable's luminosity and pulsation period is quite precise, securing Cepheids as viable standard candles and the foundation of the Extragalactic Distance Scale.Typical classical Cepheids pulsate with...
star and as such has a variable
apparent magnitudeThe apparent magnitude of a celestial body is a measure of its brightness as seen by an observer on Earth, normalized to the value it would have in the absence of the atmosphere...
of +3.7 to +4.2, with period of approximately 10.2 days. The star is approximately 1200 light years from Earth. Mekbuda is a
supergiantSupergiants are among the most massive stars. In the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram they occupy the top region of the diagram. In the Yerkes spectral classification supergiants are class Ia or Ib . They typically have bolometric absolute magnitudes between -5 and -12...
.
The name Mekbuda has roots in ancient Arabic where it and the star Mebsuta (
Epsilon GeminorumEpsilon Geminorum is a star in the constellation of Gemini. It has the traditional name Mebsuta ....
) were the paws of a lion. Mekbuda comes from a phrase meaning
the lion's folded paw.