τ Virginis (tau Virginis)

Below the horizon. Rise: 22:08 | Tran: 4:17 | Set: 10:22

Alt: -36.92° Az: 353.59° Direction: North

τ Virginis is a multiple main-sequence star of spectral class A3 in the constellation of Virgo.

τ Virginis visual magnitude is 4.26. Because of its moderate brightness, τ Virginis is easily visible to the naked eye from locations with dark skies, while it might be barely visible, or not visible at all, from light-polluted skies.

DSS2 image of τ Virginis. The red arrow shows the motion of τ Virginis during the next 10000 years (3.00 arcmin in Right Ascension and -3.50 arcmin in declination);

Celestial Coordinates

Apparent

Right Ascension 14h 02m 55s

Declination +01° 25’ 26”

Hour Angle 11h 39m 29s

Sidereal Time 01h 42m 25s

J2000

Right Ascension 14h 01m 38s

Declination +01° 32’ 39”

Galactic Coordinates

Galactic Longitude 339.22°

Galactic Latitude 59.38°

Finder Chart

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Finder chart for τ Virginis (tau Virginis).

Magnitude, Color, Spectral Class

Color ⬤

Magnitude 4.26

Class Main-sequence

Absolute magnitude 0.13

Spectral Type A3V

Color Index (B-V) 0.1

Temperature 9028K

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

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

Star System Properties

τ 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 τ Virginis double sysyem:

Main star magnitude 4.26

Secondary star magnitude 9.46

Magnitude difference 5.2

Separation 129 arcsec

Distance, Radial Speed, Proper Motion

τ Virginis is distant 218.21 light years from the Sun and it is moving towards the Sun at the speed of 2 kilometers per second.

Distance (parsec) 66.93

Distance (light year) 218.21

Radial Speed -2 km/s

Proper Motion RA 0.018 arcsec/y

Proper Motion Dec -0.021"/y

Alternative Designations

Bayer designation τ Virginis
(tau Virginis)

Flamsteed designation 93 Virginis

Henry Draper Catalogue HD122408

SAO Catalogue SAO120238

Hipparcos Catalogue HIP68520

Durchmusterung Catalogue BD+02 2761

FK5 Catalogue 516

Aitken Double Star Catalogue ADS9085

Visibility from Your Location

Today's τ Virginis (tau Virginis) rise, transit and set times from Greenwich, UK are the following (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):

Azimuth: 88.6° RISE 22:08

Max altitude: 39.9° TRANSIT 4:17

Azimuth: 271.4° SET 10:22

Set Location

Other stars in Virgo