Star profile
61 Virginis
Nearby starWhat is 61 Virginis
61 Virginis is a close neighbour —just 28 light-years away— and almost a sibling to the Sun: a G7 dwarf whose chemistry is nearly identical to ours. In 2009, observations from Keck and the Anglo-Australian Telescope uncovered three planets orbiting it, all tucked inside Venus's orbit, with masses between five and twenty-two Earths. A quieter, older echo of our own system, hidden in Virgo.
Where it is and when to see it
61 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 20° above the horizon.
- From New York it culminates about 31° above the horizon.
- From Sydney it culminates about 74° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere south of 72° N.
It ranks no. 22 in brightness among the 99 stars of Virgo in our catalogue. To find it, start from Spica, the brightest: it lies about 7° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 28 years ago.
It opens in your browser. Free, no account, nothing to install.
Leave your signature on 61 Virginis
Your name and a message go up on the map for everyone to read. Signing is free.
Without a lock, someone else can replace your signature. How the lock works
We'll ask for an email to confirm it's you, no password.
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 61 Virginis
- Constellation
- Virgo
- Apparent magnitude
- 4.74
- Distance
- 27.9 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 199.601° · Dec -18.311°
- Catalogue
- HIP 64924 · HD 115617
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
- Pi Virginis4.65
- Chi Virginis4.66
- 74 Virginis4.68
- 69 Virginis4.76
- Psi Virginis4.77