<P> The Geminids are a bright meteor shower that peaks on December 13--14 . It has a maximum rate of approximately 100 meteors per hour, making it one of the richest meteor showers . The Epsilon Geminids peak between October 18 and October 29 and have only been recently confirmed . They overlap with the Orionids, which make the Epsilon Geminids difficult to detect visually . Epsilon Geminid meteors have a higher velocity than Orionids . </P> <P> In Babylonian astronomy, the stars Castor and Pollux were known as the Great Twins (MUL. MASH. TAB. BA. GAL. GAL). The Twins were regarded as minor gods and were called Meshlamtaea and Lugalirra, meaning respectively' The One who has arisen from the Underworld' and the' Mighty King' . Both names can be understood as titles of Nergal, the major Babylonian god of plague and pestilence, who was king of the Underworld . </P> <P> In Greek mythology, Gemini was associated with the myth of Castor and Pollux, the children of Leda and Argonauts both . Pollux was the son of Zeus, who seduced Leda, while Castor was the son of Tyndareus, king of Sparta and Leda's husband . Castor and Pollux were also mythologically associated with St. Elmo's fire in their role as the protectors of sailors . When Castor died, because he was mortal, Pollux begged his father Zeus to give Castor immortality, and he did, by uniting them together in the heavens . </P> <P> Gemini is dominated by Castor and Pollux, two bright stars that appear relatively very closely together forming an o shape, encouraging the mythological link between the constellation and twinship . The twin above and to the right (as seen from the Northern Hemisphere) is Castor, whose brightest star is α Gem; it is a second magnitude star and represents Castor's head . The twin below and to the left is Pollux, whose brightest star is β Gem (more commonly called Pollux); it is of the first magnitude and represents Pollux's head . Furthermore, the other stars can be visualized as two parallel lines descending from the two main stars, making it look like two figures . </P>

Who promoted a pair of twins into the sky as gemini