Star profile

Tau Virginis

3D likeness based on its real data · class A · ~8,500 K

What is Tau Virginis

Tau Virginis is a white A-type star on the eastern flank of the Virgin, a region of the sky known to host a swarm of distant galaxies beyond its apparent glow. It is surrounded by a dust disc detected in the infrared, perhaps the remnant of a primitive planetary system still under construction. Its light, after travelling 225 years, reached Earth as the nineteenth century was about to begin.

Where it is and when to see it

Tau 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 40° above the horizon.
From New York it culminates about 51° above the horizon.
From Sydney it culminates about 55° above the horizon.

It can be seen from anywhere north of 88° S.

It ranks no. 15 in brightness among the 99 stars of Virgo in our catalogue. To find it, start from Spica, the brightest: it lies about 16° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).

The light you see today left it about 230 years ago.

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Astronomical data for Tau Virginis

Constellation: Virgo
Apparent magnitude: 4.23
Distance: 225.0 light years
Coordinates (J2000): RA 210.412° · Dec 1.545°
Catalogue: HIP 68520 · HD 122408

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Other stars in Virgo

Virgo has 99 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.

See all 99 stars in Virgo