Mu

Its story

Mu Virginis, named Rijl al-Awwa — «the foot of the barking one» — in old Arabic calendars, is a nearby yellow-white star just sixty light-years away. It is an F2 giant near 6,500 kelvin, with a modest brightness that makes it a quiet neighbour in Virgo. Its name recalls a celestial dog barking from the southern edge of the constellation, a trace of medieval astronomy still alive in the catalogues.