0.97
Apparent Mag250
Distance (ly)B1III-IV
Spectral Type22,400
Temperature (K)Spica is the brightest star in Virgo and the fifteenth-brightest in the night sky. It is a close binary whose components are egg-shaped due to mutual gravitational distortion. Spica was important in the discovery of precession.
Stellar Data
Apparent Magnitude0.97
Absolute Magnitude-3.55
Distance250 light-years
Spectral TypeB1III-IV
Temperature22,400 K
Luminosity12,100 L☉
Radius7.47 R☉
Mass11.43 M☉
Right Ascension13h 25m 11.6s
Declination-11° 09′ 40.8″
ConstellationVirgo
Notable Facts
- Spica helped Hipparchus discover the precession of the equinoxes around 130 BCE
- The two stars orbit each other in just four days
- Its name means ear of grain in Latin