72 Virginis

72 Virginis is a variable and double main-sequence star in the constellation of Virgo.

72 Virginis visual magnitude is 6.09. Because of its reltive faintness, 72 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 72 Virginis:

Color of 72 Virginis ⬤

Magnitude of 72 Virginis 6.09

Class Main-sequence

VISIBILITY RIGHT NOW 72 Virginis is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt. Altitude: 27°.

Celestial coordinates and finder chart of 72 Virginis

72 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 72 Virginis are provided in the following table:

Right Ascension J2000 13h 30m 25s

Declination J2000 -06° 28’ 13”

Galactic Longitude 320.03°

Galactic Latitude 55.1°

Constellation Virgo

The simplified sky map below shows the position of 72 Virginis in the sky:

Simplified finder chart for 72 Virginis.

Visibility of 72 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 72 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: 96.5° RISE 16:24

Max altitude: 32.0° TRANSIT 21:50

Azimuth: 263.5° SET 3:19

RIGHT NOW 72 Virginis is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom

Digitized Sky Survey image of 72 Virginis

The image below is a photograph of 72 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 72 Virginis is 0.042 arcsec per year in Right Ascension and 0.017 arcsec per year in Declination and the associated displacement for the next 10000 years is represented with the red arrow.

DSS2 image of 72 Virginis. The red arrow shows the motion of 72 Virginis during the next 10000 years (7.00 arcmin in Right Ascension and 2.83 arcmin in declination);

Distance of 72 Virginis from the Sun and relative movement

72 Virginis is distant 176.50 light years from the Sun and it is moving towards the Sun at the speed of 9 kilometers per second.

Distance (parsec) 54.14 pc

Distance (light year) 176.50 ly

Heliocentric radial velocity -9 km/s

Proper Motion RA 0.042 arcsec/year

Proper Motion Dec 0.017 arcsec/year

Spectral properties of 72 Virginis

72 Virginis belongs to spectral class F2 and has a luminosity class of V corresponding to a main-sequence star.

Absolute magnitude 2.42

Spectral Type F2V

Color Index (B-V) 0.33

Temperature of 72 Virginis 7276K

The red dot in the diagram below shows where 72 Virginis is situated in the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram.

H-R diagram showing the position of 72 Virginis. Attribution: Richard Powell / CC BY-SA

72 Virginis star system properties

72 Virginis is a visual double star which can be observed with the help of small or medium telescopes. The table below shows key information about the 72 Virginis double sysyem:

Main star magnitude 6.09

Secondary star magnitude 10.99

Magnitude difference 4.9

Separation 29.8 arcsec

Alternative designations of 72 Virginis

Flamsteed designation 72 Virginis

Henry Draper Catalogue HD117436

SAO Catalogue SAO139370

Hipparcos Catalogue HIP65892

Durchmusterung Catalogue BD-05 3706

General Catalogue of Variable Stars 6281

Aitken Double Star Catalogue ADS8924

In Evidence

Other stars in Virgo