Virgo constellation
Latin Virgo, genitive Virginis, abbreviation Vir
North up, east to the left, as you see the sky. The lines are a common figure; the stars are from the catalogue.
The myth
Usually Demeter or her daughter Persephone, holding an ear of wheat; the ear is the bright star Spica, Latin for 'ear of grain'. The second largest constellation in the sky. Between her arms lies the Virgo Cluster, thousands of galaxies, visible only in a telescope.
When can Virgo be seen?
It stands highest around 10 pm in May. It can be seen from everywhere south of 79°N.
The brightest stars
| Star | Designation | Magnitude | Colour |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spica | α Vir | 0.98 | bluish |
| Vindemiatrix | ε Vir | 2.83 | yellow |
| Heze | ζ Vir | 3.37 | white |
| Minelauva | δ Vir | 3.38 | reddish |
| Zavijava | β Vir | 3.61 | yellowish white |
| Porrima | γ Vir | 3.65 | yellowish white |
| – | γ Vir | 3.68 | yellow |
| – | 109 Vir | 3.72 | bluish |
The smaller the number, the brighter: below 1 are the brightest stars of the sky, 4 is hard to see under a city sky. Greek letters after Johann Bayer (1603).
Constellation and zodiac sign
The constellation Virgo and the zodiac sign of the same name are not the same. The signs divide the Sun's path into twelve equal parts of 30 degrees, counted from the vernal equinox; the constellations differ in size, and because the Earth's axis slowly wobbles, they now lie almost one sign further on.