ψ Virginis (psi Virginis)

Altitude: -0.7° Azimuth: 104.6° Direction: East-South-East

ψ Virginis is a variable and double giant star in the constellation of Virgo.

ψ Virginis visual magnitude is 4.79. Because of its moderate brightness, ψ 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 ψ Virginis:

Color of ψ Virginis ⬤

Magnitude of ψ Virginis 4.79

Class Giant

VISIBILITY RIGHT NOW

ψ Virginis (psi Virginis) is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.

Altitude: -0.7°
Azimuth: 104.6°
Direction: East-South-East

Celestial coordinates and finder chart of ψ Virginis

ψ 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 ψ Virginis are provided in the following table:

Right Ascension J2000 12h 54m 21s

Declination J2000 -09° 32’ 20”

Galactic Longitude 304.14°

Galactic Latitude 53.33°

Constellation Virgo

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

Finder chart ψ Virginis (psi Virginis) star

Simplified finder chart for ψ Virginis (psi Virginis).

Visibility of ψ 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 ψ Virginis (psi 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: 99.5° RISE 15:29

Max altitude: 29.0° TRANSIT 20:38

Azimuth: 260.5° SET 1:52

RIGHT NOW ψ Virginis (psi Virginis) is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom

Digitized Sky Survey image of ψ Virginis

The image below is a photograph of ψ 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 ψ Virginis is -0.024 arcsec per year in Right Ascension and -0.015 arcsec per year in Declination and the associated displacement for the next 10000 years is represented with the red arrow.

DSS2 image of ψ Virginis. The red arrow shows the motion of ψ Virginis during the next 10000 years (-4.00 arcmin in Right Ascension and -2.50 arcmin in declination);

Distance of ψ Virginis from the Sun and relative movement

ψ Virginis is distant 416.88 light years from the Sun and it is moving far from the Sun at the speed of 18 kilometers per second.

Distance (parsec) 127.88 pc

Distance (light year) 416.88 ly

Heliocentric radial velocity 18 km/s

Proper Motion RA -0.024 arcsec/year

Proper Motion Dec -0.015 arcsec/year

Spectral properties of ψ Virginis

ψ Virginis belongs to spectral class M3 and has a luminosity class of III corresponding to a giant star.

Absolute magnitude -0.74

Spectral Type M3III

Color Index (B-V) 1.6

Temperature of ψ Virginis 3649K

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

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

ψ Virginis star system properties

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

Main star magnitude 4.79

Secondary star magnitude 8.09

Magnitude difference 3.3

Separation 0 arcsec

Alternative designations of ψ Virginis

Bayer designation ψ Virginis
(psi Virginis)

Flamsteed designation 40 Virginis

Henry Draper Catalogue HD112142

SAO Catalogue SAO139033

Hipparcos Catalogue HIP62985

Durchmusterung Catalogue BD-08 3449

FK5 Catalogue 1335

General Catalogue of Variable Stars Psi Vir

In Evidence

Other stars in Virgo