Star profile
46 Virginis
What is 46 Virginis
46 Virginis is an orange K-type giant along the long sweep of Virgo, that reclining figure that follows the Crow and the Cup. At 327 light-years its magnitude 5.99 corresponds to a surface cooler than the Sun's yet to a body tens of times more luminous, a hallmark of evolved giants of its class. The light glimpsed tonight left its atmosphere in the early 18th century, contemporary with the first reflecting telescopes built by Hadley.
Where it is and when to see it
46 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: the Sun sits at the opposite point of the sky and the star culminates around midnight. How high it climbs above the horizon depends on the latitude you watch from.
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The signature wall
Stelvia's sky works like a signature wall: anyone can leave their name and a message on a real star, and that signature goes up on the map for everyone to read. Signing is free.
A signature without a lock can be replaced by someone else's. The lock makes the signature permanent and lets you choose a symbolic name for the star, always shown next to the star's catalogue identifier. How the lock works
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A public signature from a real person. The chosen name is a symbolic denomination within Stelvia, with no official standing or IAU recognition: the sky is not for sale and belongs to no one.
Astronomical data for 46 Virginis
- Constellation
- Virgo
- Apparent magnitude
- 5.99
- Distance
- 327.2 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 195.150° · Dec -3.368°
- Catalogue
- HIP 63494 · HD 112992
A symbolic commemorative gift: neither the signature nor the chosen name implies ownership of the star or recognition by the IAU.
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
- 50 Virginis5.95
- HIP 708945.96
- HIP 655455.97
- HIP 629836.00
- HIP 675456.00