Star profile
74 Virginis
Cool red starWhat is 74 Virginis
74 Virginis is a cool red M-type giant in the southern reaches of Virgo, around 400 light-years away. Its ruddy hue betrays a surface far colder than the Sun's, an aged star that has swelled its outer envelope. The light arriving tonight set out when Elizabethan astronomers were first lifting telescopes to the sky, with no inkling of this distant ember.
Where it is and when to see it
74 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 32° above the horizon.
- From New York it culminates about 43° above the horizon.
- From Sydney it culminates about 62° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere south of 84° N.
It ranks no. 21 in brightness among the 99 stars of Virgo in our catalogue. To find it, start from Spica, the brightest: it lies about 5° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 400 years ago.
It opens in your browser. Free, no account, nothing to install.
Leave your signature on 74 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 74 Virginis
- Constellation
- Virgo
- Apparent magnitude
- 4.68
- Distance
- 399.8 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 202.991° · Dec -6.256°
- Catalogue
- HIP 66006 · HD 117675
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
- KhambaliaLambda Virginis4.52
- Pi Virginis4.65
- Chi Virginis4.66
- 61 Virginis4.74
- 69 Virginis4.76