Star profile
55 Virginis
What is 55 Virginis
55 Virginis is a yellow G-type star within easy reach: about 127 light-years away, in the vast constellation of the Maiden. It shares almost the Sun s exact colour and temperature, making it a distant cousin of our own daystar. Its light, sent out late in the nineteenth century, travelled through the whole age of photography, radio and the computer before arriving.
Where it is and when to see it
55 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 19° above the horizon.
- From New York it culminates about 29° above the horizon.
- From Sydney it culminates about 76° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere south of 70° N.
It ranks no. 48 in brightness among the 99 stars of Virgo in our catalogue. To find it, start from Spica, the brightest: it lies about 9° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 130 years ago.
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Astronomical data for 55 Virginis
- Constellation
- Virgo
- Apparent magnitude
- 5.31
- Distance
- 127.1 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 198.545° · Dec -19.931°
- Catalogue
- HIP 64577 · HD 114946
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
- Omega Virginis5.24
- 68 Virginis5.27
- 4 Virginis5.31
- HIP 648235.33
- 84 Virginis5.35