Pollux: how to find it and when to see it
Pollux ranks 17th of the 74 bright stars on our list, at magnitude 1.16, in the constellation Gemini.
You can see it from anywhere north of 62° S, and it's highest in the evening sky in March.
Pollux at a glance
- Constellation
- Gemini
- Magnitude
- 1.16
- Rank on our list
- 17 of 74
- Hemisphere
- Northern
- Right ascension
- 7 h 45 min
- Declination
- 28.0° north
- Visible from
- north of 62° S
- Never sets
- north of 62° N
- Best evening
- 3 March
- Name from
- Latin
Where Pollux is in the sky
Pollux sits 28.0° north of the celestial equator, the line in the sky directly above Earth's equator, so it's in the northern half of the sky. Its right ascension is 7 h 45 min.
Right ascension works like longitude on the sky. It's counted in hours, and about one hour of it turns past you each hour of the night.
When and where to see Pollux
From the northern hemisphere
From 40° N, the latitude of New York, Madrid and Beijing, Pollux rises in the north-east, climbs to 78° above the horizon in the south and sets in the north-west.
It's in the evening sky from December to May, and it's highest in the evening around 3 March, in spring.
From the southern hemisphere
From 34° S, the latitude of Sydney, Cape Town and Buenos Aires, Pollux rises in the north-east, climbs to 28° above the horizon in the north and sets in the north-west.
It's in the evening sky from January to April, and it's highest in the evening around 3 March, in autumn.
How high Pollux climbs from each latitude
The evening is about 9 pm local time, or 10 pm in summer time, and later when the sky is still too bright. A star counts as in the evening sky when it's at least 10° above the horizon.
| Latitude | Visibility | Highest point | Evening sky |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60° N | Rises and sets | 58° in the south | Nov to May |
| 50° N | Rises and sets | 68° in the south | Nov to Jun |
| 40° N | Rises and sets | 78° in the south | Dec to May |
| 30° N | Rises and sets | 88° in the south | Dec to May |
| 20° N | Rises and sets | 82° in the north | Dec to May |
| Equator | Rises and sets | 62° in the north | Dec to May |
| 20° S | Rises and sets | 42° in the north | Jan to Apr |
| 34° S | Rises and sets | 28° in the north | Jan to Apr |
| 45° S | Rises and sets | 17° in the north | Feb to Mar |
What the name Pollux means
Pollux is the Latin name of Polydeuces, one of the twin brothers of Greek myth that Gemini shows.
Keep the sky of a night that matters
Our star maps show the stars above any place, at the minute you choose, with the constellation lines drawn in. If Pollux was above the horizon that night, it's on your map, and we print it on museum-grade paper.
Questions about Pollux
Pollux is in Gemini. It sits 28.0° north of the celestial equator, at a right ascension of 7 h 45 min.
Pollux is highest in the evening sky around 3 March. That's spring in the northern hemisphere and autumn in the southern hemisphere.
Yes, from anywhere north of 62° S. From 34° S, it climbs to 28° above the horizon in the north.
Pollux has a magnitude of 1.16, which ranks it 17th of the 74 bright stars on our list. Sirius looks about 11 times brighter.
Pollux is the Latin name of Polydeuces, one of the twin brothers of Greek myth that Gemini shows.