χ Virginis (chi Virginis)

χ Virginis is a multiple giant star in the constellation of Virgo.

χ Virginis visual magnitude is 4.66. Because of its moderate brightness, χ Virginis should be easily visible from locations with dark skyes, while it can be barely visible, or not visible at all, from skyes affected by light pollution.

The table below summarizes the key facts about χ Virginis:

Color of χ Virginis ⬤

Magnitude of χ Virginis 4.66

Class Giant

VISIBILITY RIGHT NOW χ Virginis (chi Virginis) is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change].

Celestial coordinates and finder chart of χ Virginis

χ 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 χ Virginis are provided in the following table:

Right Ascension J2000 12h 39m 14s

Declination J2000 -07° 59’ 44”

Galactic Longitude 297.7°

Galactic Latitude 54.75°

Constellation Virgo

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

Finder chart χ Virginis (chi Virginis) star

Simplified finder chart for χ Virginis (chi Virginis).

Visibility of χ Virginis from your location

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

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

Azimuth: 98.0° RISE 20:00

Max altitude: 30.5° TRANSIT 1:22

Azimuth: 262.0° SET 6:40

RIGHT NOW χ Virginis (chi Virginis) is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom

Digitized Sky Survey image of χ Virginis

The image below is a photograph of χ 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 χ Virginis is -0.076 arcsec per year in Right Ascension and -0.025 arcsec per year in Declination and the associated displacement for the next 10000 years is represented with the red arrow.

DSS2 image of χ Virginis. The red arrow shows the motion of χ Virginis during the next 10000 years (-12.67 arcmin in Right Ascension and -4.17 arcmin in declination);

Distance of χ Virginis from the Sun and relative movement

χ Virginis is distant 318.36 light years from the Sun and it is moving towards the Sun at the speed of 20 kilometers per second.

Distance (parsec) 97.66 pc

Distance (light year) 318.36 ly

Heliocentric radial velocity -20 km/s

Proper Motion RA -0.076 arcsec/year

Proper Motion Dec -0.025 arcsec/year

Spectral properties of χ Virginis

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

Absolute magnitude -0.29

Spectral Type K2III

Color Index (B-V) 1.23

Temperature of χ Virginis 4251K

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

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

χ Virginis star system properties

χ 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 χ Virginis double sysyem:

Main star magnitude 4.66

Secondary star magnitude 8.96

Magnitude difference 4.3

Separation 173.1 arcsec

Alternative designations of χ Virginis

Bayer designation χ Virginis
(chi Virginis)

Flamsteed designation 26 Virginis

Henry Draper Catalogue HD110014

SAO Catalogue SAO138892

Hipparcos Catalogue HIP61740

Durchmusterung Catalogue BD-07 3452

FK5 Catalogue 475

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Other stars in Virgo