Star profile
Minelauva
Delta Virginis · Virgo
Cool red starWhat is Minelauva
Minelauva is a red giant 198 light-years from the Earth, in the constellation Virgo, somewhat removed from the better-known figures of the spring sky. The name comes from the Arabic «al-`auwa», the barkers: a small group of stars that astronomers in Baghdad imagined as watchful dogs of the firmament, guarding the celestial flocks at night. Its cool, ancient light has been crossing European spring skies since the very time when Cervantes was finishing the first part of «Don Quixote» at a Madrid printing house already saturated with popular orders.
Where it is and when to see it
Minelauva lies in the northern 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 42° above the horizon.
- From New York it culminates about 53° above the horizon.
- From Sydney it culminates about 53° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere north of 87° S.
It ranks no. 5 in brightness among the 99 stars of Virgo in our catalogue. To find it, start from Spica, the brightest: it lies about 16° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 200 years ago.
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Astronomical data for Minelauva
- Constellation
- Virgo
- Apparent magnitude
- 3.39
- Distance
- 198.4 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 193.901° · Dec 3.397°
- Catalogue
- HIP 63090 · HD 112300
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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
- HezeZeta Virginis3.38
- Gamma Virginis3.52
- ZavijavaBeta Virginis3.59
- 109 Virginis3.73
- Mu Virginis3.87