Star profile
Psi Virginis
Variable starWhat is Psi Virginis
Psi Virginis is an M-type red giant in the body of the Maiden some 545 light-years away. Its brightness shifts gently —the slow pulse of a cool, extended atmosphere breathing to the rhythm of its own convection—, one of many red embers scattered across the constellation. Set in Virgo’s northern reach, it shares the sky with one of the great galaxy clusters of the nearby universe, yet itself belongs to the modest handful of aging stars that decorate our own Milky Way.
Where it is and when to see it
Psi Virginis lies in the southern celestial hemisphere. It is visible to the naked eye under a dark sky. Its best month of the year is April, when it culminates around midnight.
- From London it culminates about 29° above the horizon.
- From New York it culminates about 40° above the horizon.
- From Sydney it culminates about 66° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere south of 80° N.
It ranks no. 24 in brightness among the 99 stars of Virgo in our catalogue. To find it, start from Spica, the brightest: it lies about 8° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 540 years ago.
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Astronomical data for Psi Virginis
- Constellation
- Virgo
- Apparent magnitude
- 4.77
- Distance
- 544.6 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 193.588° · Dec -9.539°
- Catalogue
- HIP 62985 · HD 112142
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Other stars in Virgo
Virgo has 99 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
- SpicaAlpha Virginis0.98
- PorrimaGamma Virginis2.74
- VindemiatrixEpsilon Virginis2.85
- 74 Virginis4.68
- 61 Virginis4.74
- 69 Virginis4.76
- Sigma Virginis4.78
- ElgafarPhi Virginis4.81