Your Guide to the Solar System and the Night Sky
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public Observing fromLocation: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
north SunriseRise: 4:48  
clear_day Transit: 12:56  
SunsetSet: 21:05 south
sunny DaytimeWhat's Visible Now
All Constellations » Virgo » 

46 Virginis

46 Virginis is a variable and multiple giant star in the constellation of Virgo.

46 Virginis visual magnitude is 5.99. Because of its reltive faintness, 46 Virginis should be visible only from locations with dark skyes, while it is not visible at all from skyes affected by light pollution.

The table below summarizes the key facts about 46 Virginis:

5.99
Giant
46 Virginis is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt. Altitude: 5°.

Celestial coordinates and finder chart of 46 Virginis

46 Virginis is situated close to the celestial equator, as such, it is at least partly visible from both hemispheres in certain times of the year. Celestial coordinates for the J2000 equinox as well as galactic coordinates of 46 Virginis are provided in the following table:

13h 00m 35s
-03° 22’ 06”
307.43°
59.42°
Virgo

The simplified sky map below shows the position of 46 Virginis in the sky:

Finder chart 46 Virginis star
Simplified finder chart for 46 Virginis.

Visibility of 46 Virginis from your location

Location: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
Latitude: 51° 28’ 47” N
Longitude: 0° 00’ 00” E
Timezone: Europe/London

Today's 46 Virginis rise, transit and set times from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt are the following (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):

Azimuth: 93.4°
Max altitude: 35.2°
Azimuth: 266.6°
46 Virginis is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom

Digitized Sky Survey image of 46 Virginis

The image below is a photograph of 46 Virginis from the Digitized Sky Survey 2 (DSS2 - see the credits section) taken in the red channel. The area of sky represented in the image is 0.5x0.5 degrees (30x30 arcmins). The proper motion of 46 Virginis is -0.025 arcsec per year in Right Ascension and 0.05 arcsec per year in Declination and the associated displacement for the next 10000 years is represented with the red arrow.

Image of 46 Virginis star
DSS2 image of 46 Virginis. The red arrow shows the motion of 46 Virginis during the next 10000 years (-4.17 arcmin in Right Ascension and 8.33 arcmin in declination);

Distance of 46 Virginis from the Sun and relative movement

46 Virginis is distant 344.24 light years from the Sun and it is moving far from the Sun at the speed of 23 kilometers per second.

105.60 pc
344.24 ly
23 km/s
-0.025 arcsec/year
0.05 arcsec/year

Spectral properties of 46 Virginis

46 Virginis belongs to spectral class K2 and has a luminosity class of III corresponding to a giant star.

0.87
K2III
4472K

The red dot in the diagram below shows where 46 Virginis is situated in the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram.

HR Diagram
H-R diagram showing the position of 46 Virginis. Attribution: Richard Powell / CC BY-SA

46 Virginis star system properties

46 Virginis is a visual double star which can be observed with the help of large telescopes. The table below shows key information about the 46 Virginis double sysyem:

5.99
9.89
3.9
1.1 arcsec

Alternative designations of 46 Virginis

46 Virginis
SAO139096
SAO139096