Despite its appearance, the constellation Virgo is a treasure trove for astronomical discovery. The name of the star Spica, which marks the ear of grain held by the goddess, means exactly that, the ear of grain in Latin. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. You may be asking what does Virgo look like? Leo the Lion is above her head. Messier discovered it in 1781. It has a surrounding disk of gas and dust that extends about 150,000 light-years from the galaxy and jets of hot particles extending about 100,000 light-years outward. How did Dike was the daughter of Zeus and Greek Titaness Themis. [citation needed] According to EarthSky, this begins with Hades falling for Persephone, the daughter of Demeter, who was the goddess of grain and agriculture. Spica, along with Arcturus (the brightest star in Botes) and Denebola (second-brightest star in Leo), are part of the Spring Triangle asterism (not to be confused with the Summer Triangle). Dike was the daughter of Zeus and Greek Titaness Themis. Zeus was then bound to honor that. The bright stars can be seen without the need for a telescope and then you can imagine the beautiful Goddess in the sky. Here are some interesting Virgo facts. When looking at M60 through a telescope, you will usually see it together with its dimmer neighbor, NGC 4647 (26) (27). This article was most recently revised and updated by, Constellations of the Zodiac and Their Signs Quiz, Space.com - Virgo Constellation: Facts about the Virgin, The Planets - Virgo Constellation Complete Guide, Virgo - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11), Virgo - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). Virgo is the second largest constellation in the sky. It is a major radio source, partially due to its jet of electrons being flung out of the galaxy by its central supermassive black hole. The main star is a pulsar located 2,300 light-years from the Sun. It can be observed in a small telescope. While people have the general idea that spring is when Persephone returned from the underworld and winter is when she went back to it. Virgo is one of the 17 constellations that represents a mythological character. Libra the Scales lies underneath her feet. The name Spica comes from the Latin spca virginis, which means Virgos ear of grain.. Remember that in the southern hemisphere, all constellations appear upside down, so the Virgo constellation will be standing on her head! M49 can be found at 4.1 west-southwest of the bright star Epsilon Virginis. Virgo also has 20 stars with known planets, more than any other constellation. The constellation contains many notable bright stars, and the brightest one is Beta Virginis or Spica with a magnitude of 0.98. It is approximately 294 light years distant and has an apparent magnitude of 4.652, which makes it visible to the unaided eye. It has a mass 1.4 times solar, but with a radius 48 times that of the Sun, it is about 468 times more luminous. What is the ruling planet of Virgo in November 2018? The Virgo constellation offers fabulous meteor showers that will delight home stargazers. Orion SkyQuest XT8 Classic Dobsonian Telescope, To locate Virgo, it is easiest to first find the Big Dipper in the northern sky, Using the curve of the handle, imagine a curved line, downwards to the left from the end of the dipper to the bright star Arcturus, Extend that line to Spica, indicating the left hand, Straight up above Spica is Vindemiatrix at the right hand, Now imagine her head above these stars and her flowing robe falling downwards, Using the curve of the handle, imagine a curved line, upwards to the right from the end of the dipper to the bright star Arcturus, Extend that line to Spica, one of the stars in Virgo, indicating the left hand, Straight down from Spica is Vindemiatrix, at the right hand. Virgo is a large and distinctive constellation that dominates the sky. A noted galaxy that is not part of the cluster is the Sombrero Galaxy (M104), an unusual spiral galaxy. The system lies about 265 light-years away. The quasar was one of the first extragalactic X-ray sources discovered in 1970. To find Virgo you can locate the two zodiac constellations of Libra the Scales and Leo the Lion. Both stars are of the spectral type F0V and have similar visual magnitudes of 3.65 and 3.56. Another fascinating object to watch in the Virgo galaxy is Messier 90, known as M90. Their names indicate the nearest star from which they originate and they travel through the sky in different directions. Composite image of Hubble Telescope observations. During the Middle Ages, around the 5th to the 14th century, the church associated the meaning of Virgo with the Virgin Mary. There is starburst activity as a result of the interaction with the neighboring galaxy NGC 4438. Lying between Leo to the west and Libra to the east, it is the second-largest constellation in the sky (after Hydra) and the largest constellation in the zodiac. To find Virgo in the night sky of the Northern Hemisphere, stargazers need to locate the arc of the Big Dippers handle and follow the end of the curve down to a bright orange star called Arcturus. Messier 86 (centre), Messier 84 (right), the Eyes Galaxies (NGC 4435 and NGC 4438, left), NGC 4402 (top), NGC 4425 (bottom left), and NGC 4388 (bottom right), image: Radan Mitrovi (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Ottawa County Mugshots, Ny Giants Latest News Josh Rosen, Elvis Presley Items For Sale, When Does Peter Millar Have Sales, Does Jerry Stackhouse Have A Ring, Articles H