Star profile
59 Virginis
What is 59 Virginis
59 Virginis is a rarity carefully studied by astronomers: a yellow G-class star a little over fifty-seven light-years away, regarded as a close solar analogue in mass, colour and temperature. If our Sun had a near cousin in Flamsteed’s catalogue, it would be this star, perched in the northern reaches of Virgo. Its light has been crossing space for barely two generations before reaching us.
Where it is and when to see it
59 Virginis 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 48° above the horizon.
- From New York it culminates about 59° above the horizon.
- From Sydney it culminates about 47° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere north of 81° S.
It ranks no. 41 in brightness among the 99 stars of Virgo in our catalogue. To find it, start from Spica, the brightest: it lies about 21° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 57 years ago.
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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 59 Virginis
- Constellation
- Virgo
- Apparent magnitude
- 5.19
- Distance
- 57.3 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 199.194° · Dec 9.424°
- Catalogue
- HIP 64792 · HD 115383
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
- Upsilon Virginis5.14
- 49 Virginis5.15
- 90 Virginis5.16
- 57 Virginis5.21
- 76 Virginis5.21