β Geminorum (more commonly called Pollux) is the head of the twin Pollux in the Gemini constellation. Pollux has a secret he has been hiding for millions of years though.
Pollux is the only star readily visible in the sky that has a confirmed companion (i.e. exoplanet). For thousands of years this has been a significant star and last year it was confirmed for a fact that Pollux has a companion star. So when you look at the head of the twin Pollux, you are looking directly at a confirmed solar system with orbitting planets.
A few interesting facts about Pollux:
- Even though it has the "Beta" designation, it is actually brighter than α Geminorum, more commonly known as Castor.
- Castor and Pollux are twins; however, the stars representing them couldn't be more different. Castor is a super hot white sextuple star system; Pollux is a yellow-orange giant.
- Pollux is the only star readily visible in the night sky with a confirmed star system.
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