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Alhena

Aleena, Almeisan, Gamma Geminorum, 24 Geminorum

White Star in Gemini

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Proper Names	Alhena, Aleena, Almeisan
Bayer Designation	Gamma Geminorum
Flamsteed Number	24 Geminorum
HR (BSC)	2421
HD	47105
Constellation	Gemini
Right Ascension	6h 37m 43s
Declination	+16° 23' 57"
Distance	109 light years 34 parsecs
Magnitude	Apparent: +1.9 Absolute: -0.6
Spectral Class	A0 White Subgiant
Optimum Visibility	January
Notes	After Castor and Pollux, Alhena is the third brightest of the stars of Gemini; in the sky, it falls approximately halfway between those two stars and red Betelgeuse in Orion, to the southwest. This is a binary system, in which the primary white subgiant is orbited by a yellow dwarf star.

Alhena B is a yellow dwarf star similar in many ways to the Sun. It orbits the main white subgiant Alhena A following a highly eccentric path taking nearly thirteen years to complete. Alhena A is seen here in the distance, though in fact the white star is the larger and more luminous of the binary pair.

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