Virgo (constellation)

Information about Virgo (constellation)

For other uses, see Virgo (disambiguation)

**Virgo**
Virgo Click for larger image
List of stars in Virgo
Abbreviation:	Vir
Genitive:	Virginis
Symbology:	the Virgin
Right ascension:	13 h
Declination:	0
Area:	1294 sq. deg. (2nd)
Main stars:	9, 15
Bayer/Flamsteed stars:	95
Stars with planets:	8
Bright stars:	3
Nearby stars:	9
Brightest star:	Spica (α Vir) (1.0^m)
Nearest star:	Ross 128 (10.92 ly)
Messier objects:	11
Meteor showers:	Virginids Mu Virginids
Bordering constellations:	Boötes Coma Berenices Leo Crater Corvus Hydra Libra Serpens Caput
Visible at latitudes between +80 and −80 Best visible at 21:00 (9 p.m.) during the month of May

Virgo (IPA: /ˈvəː(r)gəʊ/, Latin: virgin, symbol

, Unicode ♍) is a constellation of the zodiac. Lying between Leo to the west and the Libra to the east, it is one of the largest constellations in the sky. It can be easily found through its brightest star, Spica.

Notable features

The most prominent star in Virgo is Spica (α Vir), which was sometimes considered to represent an ear of wheat in Virgo's hand. Spica makes it easy to locate Virgo, as it can be found by following the curve of the Big Dipper to Arcturus in Boötes and continuing from there in the same curve ("follow the arc to Arcturus and speed on to Spica").

Other bright stars in Virgo include β Virginis (Zavijava), γ Vir (Porrima), δ Virginis (Auva) and ε Virginis (Vindemiatrix). Other fainter stars that were also given names are ζ Virginis (Heze), η Virginis (Zaniah), ι Virginis (Syrma) and μ Virginis (Rijl al Awwa).

The star 70 Virginis is one of the first known extrasolar planetary system with one confirmed planet 7.5 times the mass of Jupiter.

Due to the effects of precession, the First Point of Libra, (also known as the autumn equinox point) lies within the boundaries of Virgo very close to β Virginis. This is one of the two points in the sky where the celestial equator crosses the ecliptic (the other being the First Point of Aries, now in the constellation of Pisces.) This point will pass into the neighbouring constellation of Leo around the year 2440.

Notable deep sky objects

Because of the presence of a galaxy cluster (consequently called the Virgo cluster) within its borders 5° to 10° west of ε Vir (Vindemiatrix), this constellation is especially rich in galaxies.

Some examples are Messier 49 (elliptical), Messier 58 (spiral), Messier 59 (elliptical), Messier 60 (elliptical), Messier 61 (spiral), Messier 84 (lenticular), Messier 86 (lenticular), Messier 87 (elliptical and a famous radio source), Messier 89 (elliptical) and Messier 90 (spiral). A noted galaxy that is not part of the cluster is the Sombrero Galaxy (M104), an unusual spiral galaxy. It is located about 10° due west of Spica.

Mythology

Who exactly Virgo was considered to represent is uncertain; in history, it has been associated with nearly every prominent goddess, including Ishtar, Isis, Cybele, Mary the Mother of Jesus, and Athena. Virgo may also feature, along with Ursa Major, and Ursa Minor, as part of the source of the myth of Callisto, either as Callisto herself, or as Hera. Persephone (who in some mythologies, notably the Eleusinian Mysteries, was considered to be a form of Demeter) is often mentioned as well, Virgo being visible mainly in the spring months when she was believed to have risen from the underworld.

According to one interpretation, the constellation depicts Astraea, the virgin daughter of the god Zeus and the goddess Themis. Astraea was known as the goddess of justice, and was identified as this constellation due to the presence of the scales of justice Libra nearby, and supposedly ruled the world at one point with her wise ways until mankind became so callous she returned to the skies disgusted.

Astrology

In western astrology the sun is in the sign of Virgo from August 23 to September 22.

Graphic visualization

The stars of the constellation Virgo can be connected in an alternative way, which graphically shows the virgin lying down in a supine position.^[1]

Diagram of an alternate way to connect the stars of the constellation Virgo.

The stars γ Vir, η Vir, β Vir, ν Vir, and ο Vir form the virgin's head. The stars γ Vir, δ Vir, ζ Vir, α Vir (Spica), and θ Vir form the virgin's blouse. The stars α Vir, ζ Vir, τ Vir, ι Vir, and κ Vir form the virgin's skirt. The stars 109 Vir and μ Vir represent the Virgin's feet, and the star ε Vir represents the virgin's hand.

References

1. ^ H. A. Rey, The Stars — A New Way To See Them. Enlarged World-Wide Edition. Houghton Mifflin, Boston, 1997. ISBN 0-395-24830-2.

Ian Ridpath and Wil Tirion (2007). Collins Stars and Planets Guide, HarperCollins, London. ISBN 978-0007251209.

External links

The 88 modern Constellations

Constellation history

Astronomy | Constellations of the Zodiac | Astrology

Sagittarius| Capricorn

Virgo may refer to:

Virgo (astrology), an astrological sign
Virgo (band), a musical project between Andre Matos and Sascha Paeth
Virgo (constellation), a constellation
Virgo (mobile suit), a mobile suit from Mobile Suit Gundam Wing

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This is the list of notable stars in the constellation Virgo, sorted by decreasing brightness.

Name Designation Location Magnitude Dist. (ly) Sp. class Notes
B F HD HIP RA Dec vis. abs.
Spica α 67 116658 65474 13^h 25^m 11.
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In grammar, the genitive case or possessive case (also called the second case) is the case that marks a noun as being the possessor of another noun.
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Virginity is a term used as an expression of purity. In its most common context, it is a concept that refers to the state of a person never having engaged in sexual intercourse. A person who still has his or her virginity can accordingly be described as being a virgin.
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Right ascension (abbrev. RA; symbol α) is the astronomical term for one of the two coordinates of a point on the celestial sphere when using the equatorial coordinate system. The other coordinate is the declination.
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In astronomy, declination (abbrev. dec or δ) is one of the two coordinates of the equatorial coordinate system, the other being either right ascension or hour angle.
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Here is a list of the 88 modern constellations by their area in the sky, measured in square degrees.

These areas are determined by constellation boundaries drawn up by Eugène Delporte in 1930 on behalf of the IAU and published in
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A Bayer designation is a stellar designation in which a specific star is identified by a Greek letter, followed by the genitive form of its parent constellation's Latin name.
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Flamsteed designations for stars are similar to Bayer designations, except that they use numbers instead of Greek letters. Each star is assigned a number and the Latin genitive of the constellation it lies in (see List of constellations for a list of constellations and the genitive
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Spica (α Vir / α Virginis / Alpha Virginis) is the brightest star in the constellation Virgo, and one of the brightest stars in the nighttime sky.

In Chinese astronomy, the star is known as Jiao Xiu 1 (角宿一) in Jiao Xiu
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The apparent magnitude (m) of a celestial body is a measure of its brightness as seen by an observer on Earth, normalized to the value it would have in the absence of the atmosphere.
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Ross 128 is a red dwarf star that is the eleventh closest star system to the Solar System. Its closest neighbor is Wolf 359, 1.16 pc or 3.79 ly away. Ross 128 is near the line of the ecliptic, and is the closest star system in the constellation Virgo.
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1 light-year =
SI units
010¹⁵ m 010¹² km
Astronomical units
010³ AU 0 pc
US customary / Imperial units
010¹⁵ ft 010¹² mi

A light-year or lightyear (symbol:
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Messier objects are a set of astronomical objects catalogued by French astronomer Charles Messier in his catalogue of Nebulae and Star Clusters first published in 1774.
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A meteor shower, some of which are known as a "meteor storm" or "meteor outburst", is a celestial event where a group of meteors are observed to radiate from one point in the sky. These meteors are small fragments of cosmic debris entering Earth's atmosphere at extremely high speed.
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The Virginids are a meteor shower. There are many meteor showers that fall under the name Virginids, Including Eta Virginids, Theta Virginids, Alpha Virginids, and Pi Virginids.
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Boötes

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List of stars in Boötes
Abbreviation: Boo
Genitive: Bootis
Symbology: the Bear Watcher
Right ascension: 15 h
Declination: +30
Area: 907 sq. deg.
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Coma Berenices

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List of stars in Coma Berenices
Abbreviation: Com
Genitive: Comae Berenices
Symbology: Berenice's Hair
Right ascension: 12.76 h
Declination: +21.83
Area: 386 sq. deg.
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Leo

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List of stars in Leo
Abbreviation: Leo
Genitive: Leonis
Symbology: the Lion
Right ascension: 11 h
Declination: +15
Area: 947 sq. deg.
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Crater

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List of stars in Crater
Abbreviation: Crt
Genitive: Crateris
Symbology: the Cup
Right ascension: 11 h
Declination: −16
Area: 282 sq. deg.
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Corvus

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List of stars in Corvus
Abbreviation: Crv
Genitive: Corvi
Symbology: the Crow/Raven
Right ascension: 12 h
Declination: −20
Area: 184 sq. deg.
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Hydra

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List of stars in Hydra
Abbreviation: Hya
Genitive: Hydrae
Symbology: the sea serpent
Right ascension: 10 h
Declination: −20
Area: 1303 sq. deg.
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Libra

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List of stars in Libra
Abbreviation: Lib
Genitive: Librae
Symbology: the Balance
Right ascension: 15 h
Declination: −15
Area: 538 sq. deg.
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Serpens

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List of stars in Serpens
Abbreviation: Ser
Genitive: Serpentis
Symbology: the Snake
Right ascension: Serpens Caput: 16 h
Serpens Cauda: 18 h
Declination:
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International Phonetic Alphabet

Note: This page may contain IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode.

The International
Phonetic Alphabet
History
Nonstandard symbols
Extended IPA
Naming conventions
IPA for English The
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Latin}}}
Official status
Official language of: Vatican City
Used for official purposes, but not spoken in everyday speech
Regulated by: Opus Fundatum Latinitas
Roman Catholic Church
Language codes
ISO 639-1: la
ISO 639-2: lat
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constellation of Orion is the area outlined in the dashed yellow line. Orion contains a striking and well-known star pattern that has the form of a hunter.]] A constellation is any one of the 88 areas into which the sky — or the celestial sphere — is divided.
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For other uses, see Zodiac (disambiguation).

The term zodiac denotes an annual cycle of twelve stations along the ecliptic, the apparent path of the sun across the heavens through the constellations that divide the ecliptic into twelve equal
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