Yellow-white main-sequence star · Virgo
γ Virginis
Also known as: γ Vir
mag 3.539 light-years
About
γ Virginis is a yellow-white main-sequence star of magnitude 3.5 in Virgo, about 39 light-years away.
How to find it
- γ Virginis is in the constellation Virgo.
- Best evenings: around mid-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.
What you will see
- 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.
Facts
| Designation | γ Virginis (γ Vir) |
|---|---|
| Type | Yellow-white main-sequence star |
| Spectral type | F0 V |
| Magnitude | 3.5The smaller the number, the brighter. |
| Distance | 39 light-yearsThe light you see left it around 1987. |
| Proper motion | 0.56″ per year across the sky |
| Constellation | Virgo |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 41m 39.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | −01° 26′ 57″ |
Sources and credits
Star data: HYG Database by David Nash, CC BY-SA 4.0. All data sources →