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Spica - α Virginis (alpha Virginis)

Spica, also designated as α Virginis (alpha Virginis), is a variable and multiple giant star in the constellation of Virgo.

Spica visual magnitude is 0.98, making it the 15th brightest star in the sky. Thanks to its high brightness, Spica is clearly visible when observed from locations with dark skyes, and should be also quite easily visible from light polluted areas.

The table below summarizes the key facts about Spica:

Color of Spica ⬤

Magnitude of Spica 0.98

Class Giant

VISIBILITY RIGHT NOW Spica - α Virginis (alpha Virginis) is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change].

Celestial coordinates and finder chart of Spica

Spica 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 Spica are provided in the following table:

Right Ascension J2000 13h 25m 11s

Declination J2000 -11° 09’ 41”

Galactic Longitude 316.11°

Galactic Latitude 50.84°

Constellation Virgo

The simplified sky map below shows the position of Spica in the sky:

Finder chart Spica - α Virginis (alpha Virginis) star

Simplified finder chart for Spica - α Virginis (alpha Virginis).

Visibility of Spica from your location

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

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

Azimuth: 101.2° RISE 20:59

Max altitude: 27.4° TRANSIT 2:04

Azimuth: 258.8° SET 7:05

RIGHT NOW Spica - α Virginis (alpha Virginis) is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom

Digitized Sky Survey image of Spica

The image below is a photograph of Spica 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 Spica is -0.041 arcsec per year in Right Ascension and -0.028 arcsec per year in Declination and the associated displacement for the next 10000 years is represented with the red arrow.

Image of Spica - α Virginis (alpha Virginis) star

DSS2 image of Spica. The red arrow shows the motion of Spica during the next 10000 years (-6.83 arcmin in Right Ascension and -4.67 arcmin in declination);

Distance of Spica from the Sun and relative movement

Spica is distant 262.06 light years from the Sun and it is moving far from the Sun at the speed of 1 kilometers per second.

Distance (parsec) 80.39 pc

Distance (light year) 262.06 ly

Heliocentric radial velocity 1 km/s

Proper Motion RA -0.041 arcsec/year

Proper Motion Dec -0.028 arcsec/year

Spectral properties of Spica

Spica belongs to spectral class B1 and has a luminosity class of III corresponding to a giant star.

Absolute magnitude -3.55

Spectral Type B1III

Color Index (B-V) -0.23

Temperature of Spica 14354K

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

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

Spica star system properties

Spica 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 Spica double sysyem:

Main star magnitude 0.98

Secondary star magnitude 2.48

Magnitude difference 1.5

Separation 0 arcsec

Alternative designations of Spica

Proper Name Spica

Bayer designation α Virginis
(alpha Virginis)

Flamsteed designation 67 Virginis

Henry Draper Catalogue HD116658

SAO Catalogue SAO157923

Hipparcos Catalogue HIP65474

Durchmusterung Catalogue BD-10 3672

FK5 Catalogue 498

General Catalogue of Variable Stars Alp Vir

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Other stars in Virgo