"and speed on to Spica""). 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. Besides Spica, other bright stars in Virgo include β Virginis (Zavijava), γ Virginis (Porrima), δ Virginis (Auva) and ε Virginis (Vindemiatrix)."
"star he designated in the neighbouring constellation Crater—31 Crateris—lay within Corvus once the constellation boundaries were established in 1930. Within the constellation's borders, there are 29 stars brighter than or equal to apparent magnitude 6.5. Four principal stars, Delta, Gamma, Epsilon, and Beta Corvi, form a quadrilateral asterism known as ""the ""Spica's Spanker"" or ""the Sail"". Although none of the stars are particularly bright, they lie in a dim area of the sky, rendering the asterism easy to distinguish in the night sky. Gamma and Delta serve as pointers toward Spica. Also called Gienah, Gamma is the brightest star in"
"with Denebola or Regulus depending on the source and Arcturus, is part of the Spring Triangle asterism, and by extension, also of the Great Diamond together with the star Cor Caroli. As one of the nearest massive binary star systems to the Sun, Spica has been the subject of many observational studies. Spica is believed to be the star that gave Hipparchus the data that led him to discover the precession of the equinoxes. A temple to Menat (an early Hathor) at Thebes was oriented with reference to Spica when it was built in 3200 BC, and, over time, precession"
"now so entered in the IAU Catalog of Star Names. In Chinese, (), meaning ""Horn (asterism)"", refers to an asterism consisting of Spica and ζ Virginis. Consequently, Spica are known as (, ). In Hindu astronomy, Spica corresponds to the Nakshatra ""Chitrā"". Both American ships USS ""Spica"" (AK-16) and USNS ""Spica"" (T-AFS-9) were named after this star while USS ""Azimech"" (AK-124), a ""Crater""-class cargo ship, was given one of the star's medieval names. A blue star represents Spica on the of the Brazilian state of Pará. Spica is also the star representing Pará on the Brazilian flag. A South Korean"
"Sigma Scorpii Sigma Scorpii (or σ Scorpii and abbreviated Sigma Sco, σ Sco), is a multiple star system in the constellation of Scorpius, located near the red supergiant Antares, which outshines it. This system has a combined apparent visual magnitude of +2.88, making it one of the brighter members of the constellation. Based upon parallax measurements made during the Hipparcos mission, the distance to Sigma Scorpii is roughly 696 light-years (214 parsecs). North ""et al."" (2007) computed a more accurate estimate of light years ( parsecs). The system consists of a spectroscopic binary with components designated Sigma Scorpii Aa1 (also"
"orbit was found to be only slightly larger at . The MK spectral classification of Spica is typically considered to be an early B-type main sequence star. Individual spectral types for the two components are difficult to assign accurately, especially for the secondary due to the Struve–Sahade effect. The Bright Star Catalogue derived a spectral class of B1 III-IV for the primary and B2V for the secondary, but later studies have given various different values. The primary star has a stellar classification of B1 III–IV. The luminosity class matches the spectrum of a star that is midway between a subgiant"
"year, and the star's heliacal rising occurs about two weeks later. Every 8 years, Venus passes Spica around the time of the star's heliacal rising, as in 2009 when it passed 3.5° north of the star on November 3. A method of finding Spica is to follow the arc of the handle of the Big Dipper (Plough) to Arcturus, and then continue on the same angular distance to Spica. This can be recalled by the mnemonic phrase, ""arc to Arcturus and spike to Spica."" Spica is a close binary star whose components orbit about each other every four days. They"
"Kappa Scorpii Kappa Scorpii, Latinized from κ Scorpii, is a binary star system in the southern constellation of Scorpius. With an apparent visual magnitude of 2.4, this star system is readily visible to the naked eye. Parallax measurements place it at an estimated distance of roughly from the Earth. This is a spectroscopic binary, which is a type of binary star system in which the two stars are so close together that they have not been individually resolved with a telescope. The pair orbit each other with a period of about 196 days and an eccentricity of nearly 0.5. The"
"0.03 over an interval that matches the orbital period. This slight dip in magnitude is barely noticeable visually. Both stars rotate faster than their mutual orbital period. This lack of synchronization and the high ellipticity of their orbit may indicate that this is a young star system. Over time, the mutual tidal interaction of the pair may lead to rotational synchronization and orbit circularization. Spica is an polarimetric variable, which suggests that protostellar material is entrained between the two stars. ""α Virginis"" (Latinised to ""Alpha Virginis"") is the system's Bayer designation. The traditional name ""Spica"" derives from Latin ""spīca virginis"""
"Sigma Piscium Sigma Piscium (Sigma Psc, σ Piscium, σ Psc) is a main-sequence star in the zodiac constellation of Pisces. It has an apparent magnitude of +5.50, meaning it is barely visible to the naked eye, according to the Bortle scale. While parallax measurements by the Hipparcos spacecraft give a distance of approximately 430 light years (133 parsecs), dynamical parallax measurements put it slightly closer, at 368 light-years (113 parsecs) from Earth. Sigma Piscium is a spectroscopic binary system, meaning the components of the system have been detected from periodic Doppler shifts in their spectra. In this case, light from"
"Scorpius Scorpius is one of the constellations of the zodiac. Its name is Latin for scorpion, and its symbol is (Unicode ♏). Scorpius is one of the 48 constellations identified by the Greek astronomer Ptolemy in the second century. It is an ancient constellation that pre-dated the Greeks. It lies between Libra to the west and Sagittarius to the east. It is a large constellation located in the southern hemisphere near the center of the Milky Way. Scorpius contains many bright stars, including Antares (α Sco), ""rival of Mars,"" so named because of its distinct reddish hue; β Sco (Graffias"
"Ara (constellation) Ara (Latin: ""The Altar"") is a southern constellation situated between Scorpius and Triangulum Australe. Ara (Greek: Βωμός) was one of the 48 Greek constellations described by the 2nd century astronomer Ptolemy, and it remains one of the 88 modern constellations defined by the International Astronomical Union. The orange supergiant Beta Arae is the brightest star in the constellation, with an apparent magnitude of 2.85—marginally brighter than the blue-white Alpha Arae. Seven star systems are known to host planets. The sunlike star Mu Arae hosts four known planets, while Gliese 676 is a binary red dwarf system with four"
"Epsilon Scorpii Epsilon Scorpii (ε Scorpii, abbreviated Eps Sco, ε Sco), also named Larawag, is a star in the southern zodiac constellation of Scorpius. It has an apparent visual magnitude of +2.3, making it the fifth-brightest member of the constellation. Parallax measurements made during the Hipparcos mission provide an estimated distance to this star of around from the Sun. Epsilon Scorpii has a stellar classification of K1 III, which indicates it has exhausted the supply of hydrogen at its core and evolved into a giant star. The interferometry-measured angular diameter of this star, after correcting for limb darkening, is ,"
"as the star is moving away from the observer. It may be caused by a strong stellar wind from the primary scattering the light from secondary when it is receding. This star is smaller than the primary, with about 7 times the mass of the Sun and 3.6 times the Sun's radius. Its stellar classification is B2 V, making this a main-sequence star. Spica is a rotating ellipsoidal variable, which is a non-eclipsing close binary star system where the stars are mutually distorted through their gravitational interaction. This effect causes the apparent magnitude of the star system to vary by"
"slowly but noticeably changed Spica's location relative to the temple. Nicolaus Copernicus made many observations of Spica with his home-made triquetrum for his researches on precession. Spica is 2.06 degrees from the ecliptic and can be occulted by the Moon and sometimes by the planets. The last planetary occultation of Spica occurred when Venus passed in front of the star (as seen from Earth) on November 10, 1783. The next occultation will occur on September 2, 2197, when Venus again passes in front of Spica. The Sun passes a little more than 2° north of Spica around October 16 every"
"Sigma Cassiopeiae Sigma Cassiopeiae (σ Cas, σ Cassiopeiae) is a binary star in the constellation Cassiopeia. It is approximately 5000 light years from Earth and has a combined apparent magnitude of +4.88. The primary component, σ Cassiopeiae A, is a B2 subgiant with an apparent magnitude of +5.0. Its companion, σ Cassiopeiae B, is a B5 main sequence dwarf with an apparent magnitude of +7.1. The two stars are three arcseconds apart. In Chinese, (), meaning ""Flying Serpent"", refers to an asterism consisting of σ Cassiopeiae, α Lacertae, 4 Lacertae, π Cygni, π Cygni, HD 206267, ε Cephei, β Lacertae,"
"Omega1 Scorpii ω Scorpii, Latinised as Omega Scorpii, is a star in the zodiac constellation of Scorpius. With an apparent visual magnitude of 3.95 it can be seen with the naked eye, 0.22 degree north of the ecliptic. Parallax measurements of this star give an estimated distance of around 470 light years from the Sun. It is a member of the Scorpius–Centaurus Association. This is a B-type main sequence star with a stellar classification of B1 V. It has a luminosity of 9,120 Suns, consistent with an isochronal age of 5 million years and an estimated mass of 11 solar"
"Kappa Piscium Kappa Piscium (κ Piscium) is a solitary, white-hued star in the zodiac constellation of Pisces. It is visible to the naked eye with an apparent visual magnitude of 4.94, forming the southeastern corner of the ""Circlet"" asterism in Pisces. Based upon a measured annual parallax shift of 21.25 mas as seen from Earth, it is located about 153 light years distant from the Sun. Appearing as a single point in the sky, it is easily split when viewed with a pair of binoculars, and displays three components. Kappa Piscium has an apparent magnitude of 4.87 at maximum brightness"
"Eta Scorpii Eta Scorpii (η Sco, η Scorpii) is a star in the southern zodiac constellation of Scorpius. With an apparent visual magnitude of 3.33, this is one of the brighter members of the Scorpius and is the furthest south of the constellation stars with a Bayer designation. The distance to this star can be estimated using parallax measurements, yielding a value of with a 0.4% margin of error. The stellar classification of this star has undergone some revision over time, with the star being classified anywhere from an F-type main sequence star to a giant star. In 2006, the"
"designated γ Sco (despite being well within the boundaries of Libra) is today known as σ Lib. Moreover, the entire constellation of Libra was considered to be claws of Scorpius (""Chelae Scorpionis"") in Ancient Greek times, with a set of scales held aloft by Astraea (represented by adjacent Virgo) being formed from these western-most stars during later Greek times. The division into Libra was formalised during Roman times. Due to its location straddling the Milky Way, this constellation contains many deep-sky objects such as the open clusters Messier 6 (the Butterfly Cluster) and Messier 7 (the Ptolemy Cluster), NGC 6231"
"Theta Scorpii Theta Scorpii (θ Scorpii, abbreviated Theta Sco, θ Sco) is a binary star in the southern zodiac constellation of Scorpius. The apparent visual magnitude of this star is +1.87, making it readily visible to the naked eye and one of the brightest stars in the night sky. It is sufficiently near that the distance can be measured directly using the parallax technique and such measurements obtained during the Hipparcos mission yield an estimate of approximately 300 light-years (90 parsecs) from the Sun. The two components are designated Theta Scorpii A (also named Sargas) and B. ""θ Scorpii"" (Latinised"
"Omega2 Scorpii ω Scorpii, Latinised as Omega Scorpii, is a suspected variable star in the zodiac constellation of Scorpius. A component of the visual double star ω Scorpii, it is bright enough to be seen with the naked eye having an apparent visual magnitude of +4.320. The distance to this star, as determined using parallax measurements, is around 291 light years. The visual magnitude of this star is reduced by 0.38 because of extinction from interstellar dust. It is 0.05 degree north of the ecliptic, so can be occulted by the moon and planets. This is a G-type giant star"
"Delta Scorpii Delta Scorpii (δ Scorpii, abbreviated Delta Sco, δ Sco) is a binary star (the presence of a third star in the system is being debated) in the constellation of Scorpius. The primary component is named Dschubba. δ Scorpii was once used as a spectroscopic standard for the B0 IV classification, but is now considered too unusual and variable. δ Scorpii is a proper motion member of the Upper Scorpius subgroup of the Scorpius–Centaurus OB association, the nearest such co-moving association of massive stars to the Sun. The Upper Scorpius subgroup contains thousands of young stars with mean age"
"Sigma Columbae Sigma Columbae, Latinized from σ Columbae, is a solitary, yellow-white hued star in the southern constellation of Columba. It is faintly visible to the naked eye with an apparent visual magnitude of 5.51. Based upon an annual parallax shift of 1.96 mas as seen from Earth, this star is located roughly 1,700 light years from the Sun. At an age of about 400 million years, the spectrum of this star suggests this is an evolved F-type giant with a stellar classification of F2 III. It is spinning with a projected rotational velocity of about 74 km/s, which is"
"Kappa Capricorni Kappa Capricorni (κ Cap, κ Capricorni) is a solitary star in the constellation Capricornus. It is visible to the naked eye with an apparent visual magnitude of +4.73. Based upon an annual parallax shift of 11.09 mas as seen from the Earth, the star is located about 294 light years from the Sun. This is a yellow-hued, evolved, G-type giant star with a stellar classification of G8 III. There is a 91% probability that it is currently on the horizontal branch, rather than the red giant branch. As such, it is a red clump giant with an estimated"
"Pictor Pictor is a constellation in the Southern Celestial Hemisphere, located between the star Canopus and the Large Magellanic Cloud. Its name is Latin for painter, and is an abbreviation of the older name Equuleus Pictoris (the ""painter's easel""). Normally represented as an easel, Pictor was named by Abbé Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille in the 18th century. The constellation's brightest star is Alpha Pictoris, a white main-sequence star around 97 light-years away from Earth. Pictor also hosts RR Pictoris, a cataclysmic variable star system that flared up as a nova, reaching apparent (visual) magnitude 1.2 in 1925 before fading into obscurity."
"by Columba to the north, Puppis and Carina to the east, Caelum to the northwest, Dorado to the southwest and Volans to the south. The three-letter abbreviation for the constellation, as adopted by the International Astronomical Union in 1922, is ""Pic"". The official constellation boundaries, as set by Eugène Delporte in 1930, are defined by a polygon of 18 segments (""illustrated in infobox""). In the equatorial coordinate system, the right ascension coordinates of these borders lie between and , while the declination coordinates are between −42.79° and −64.15°. Pictor culminates each year at 9 p.m. on 17 March. Its position"
"63rd of the 88 modern constellations by area. Its position in the Southern Celestial Hemisphere means that the whole constellation is visible to observers south of 22°N. Scorpius runs along the length of its northern border, while Norma and Triangulum Australe border it to the west, Apus to the south, and Pavo and Telescopium to the east respectively. The three-letter abbreviation for the constellation, as adopted by the International Astronomical Union, is Ara. The official constellation boundaries, as set by Belgian astronomer Eugène Delporte in 1930, are defined by a polygon of twelve segments. In the equatorial coordinate system, the"
"proper motion and small trigonometric parallax as measured by Hipparcos. This suggests that it is a background star unrelated to Scorpius-Centaurus. Omicron Scorpii Omicron Scorpii (ο Sco, ο Scorpii) is a star in the zodiac constellation of Scorpius. With an apparent visual magnitude of +4.57, it is visible to the naked eye. Parallax measurements indicate a distance of roughly 900 light years. It is located in the proximity of the Rho Ophiuchi dark cloud. This is a white A-type bright giant with a stellar classification of A4II/III. It is one of the brighter members of this rare class of stars,"
"Eta Piscium Eta Piscium (η Piscium, abbreviated Eta Psc, η Psc) is a binary star and the brightest point of light in the constellation of Pisces with an apparent visual magnitude of +3.6. Based upon a measured annual parallax shift of 9.33 mas as seen from Earth, it is located roughly 350 light-years distant from the Sun in the thin disk population of the Milky Way. The two components are designated Eta Piscium A (also named Alpherg) and B. ""η Piscium"" (Latinised to ""Eta Piscium"") is the system's Bayer designation. The designations of the two constituents as ""Eta Piscium A"""
"Eta Piscium Eta Piscium (η Piscium, abbreviated Eta Psc, η Psc) is a binary star and the brightest point of light in the constellation of Pisces with an apparent visual magnitude of +3.6. Based upon a measured annual parallax shift of 9.33 mas as seen from Earth, it is located roughly 350 light-years distant from the Sun in the thin disk population of the Milky Way. The two components are designated Eta Piscium A (also named Alpherg) and B. ""η Piscium"" (Latinised to ""Eta Piscium"") is the system's Bayer designation. The designations of the two constituents as ""Eta Piscium A"""
"Pisces (constellation) Pisces is a constellation of the zodiac. Its name is the Latin plural for fish. It lies between Aquarius to the west and Aries to the east. The ecliptic and the celestial equator intersect within this constellation and in Virgo. Its symbol is (Unicode ♓). The vernal equinox is currently located in Pisces, due south of ω Psc, and, due to precession, slowly drifting below the western fish towards Aquarius. M74 is a loosely wound (type Sc) spiral galaxy in Pisces, found at a distance of 30 million light years (redshift 0.0022). It has many clusters of young"
"Pi Scorpii Pi Scorpii (π Scorpii, abbreviated Pi Sco, π Sco) is a triple star system in the southern constellation of Scorpius. With a combined apparent magnitude of 2.9, it can be easily seen with the naked eye. Parallax measurements yield an estimated distance of around from the Sun. It consists of a binary pair, designated Pi Scorpii A, with a more distant third companion, B. A's two components are themselves designated Pi Scorpii Aa (also named Fang) and Ab. ""π Scorpii"" (Latinised to ""Pi Scorpii"") is the system's Bayer designation. The designations of the three constituents as ""Pi Scorpii"