White main-sequence star · Virgo

Heze

Also known as: ζ Virginis (ζ Vir), HIP 66249

mag 3.474 light-years

About

Heze (ζ Virginis) is a white main-sequence star of magnitude 3.4 in Virgo, about 74 light-years away.

Heze is in the constellation Virgo.
Best evenings: around late May it is highest at about 9 pm (10 pm in summer time); a month earlier, two hours later.
Where on Earth: it is seen well, at least 10° up, from south of 79° N.

When it rises and sets tonight, how high it climbs and how much the Moon gets in the way are worked out in your browser for your place.

EyesVisible from the suburbs on a clear night, but lost in bright city skies.
Binoculars (10×50)A sharp point; binoculars bring out its colour and the fainter stars around it.
Telescope (6–8 inch)Still a point of light at any magnification — stars are too far away to show a disc. Low in the sky, bright stars twinkle and flash colours.

Stars look the same in any instrument: brighter and sharper, but never bigger.

Proper name	Heze
Designation	ζ Virginis (ζ Vir)
Hipparcos number	HIP 66249
Type	White main-sequence star
Spectral type	A3V
Colour	WhiteB−V colour index 0.11
Magnitude	3.4The smaller the number, the brighter.
Distance	74 light-yearsThe light you see left it around 1952.
Proper motion	0.28″ per year across the sky
Constellation	Virgo
Right ascension (J2000)	13h 34m 41.6s
Declination (J2000)	−00° 35′ 45″