SkyEye: Virgo

The Virgin

Abbreviation:	Vir
Genitive:	Virginis
Origin:	[antiquity]
Fully Visible:	75°S – 67°N

Virgo is a member of the zodiac. This is one of the most ancient of constellations, harking back to Babylonia where it represented fertility. The Greeks and Romans often associated their goddesses of agriculture (Demeter/Ceres) with this figure.

The Virgo Cluster is a cluster of galaxies which falls within the boundaries of this constellation, making Virgo a excellent place for observing our extragalactic neighbours.

The constellation of Virgo

Notable Features

Visible Named Stars
α Vir	Spica	Representing an ear of grain, Spica is a first magnitude star. It sometimes appears as Azimech or Al Simak al Azal (from the Arabic al‑simāk al‑aʿzal meaning 'the unarmed sky-raiser') in older star atlases and catalogues. In Hindu astronomy, it is known as Chitra, from the Sanskrit citrá meaning 'the bright one'.
β Vir	Zavijava	This star appears as Alaraph in Antonín Bečvář's Atlas of the Heavens — Ⅱ Catalogue 1950.0. This name also appears (for ε Vir) in Johann Bayer's Uranometria. In Chinese astronomy, this star is known as Youzhifa, from Yòu Zhí Fă meaning 'the right law administrator'.
γ Vir	Porrima	This star appears as Arich (from the Arabic warikā al‑asad meaning 'the haunches of the lion') in Antonín Bečvář's Atlas of the Heavens — Ⅱ Catalogue 1950.0. In Chinese astronomy, this star is known as Dongshangjiang, from Dōng Jiàng meaning 'the first eastern general'.
δ Vir	Minelauva	This star appears as Auva in Antonín Bečvář's Atlas of the Heavens — Ⅱ Catalogue 1950.0. In Chinese astronomy, this star is known as Dongcijiang, from Dōng Cì Jiàng meaning 'the second eastern general'.
ε Vir	Vindemiatrix	This star sometimes appears as Almuredin (from the Arabic al‑muqaddam li‑l‑qaṭṭāf meaning 'the one preceding the grape gatherer') in older star atlases and catalogues. In Chinese astronomy, this star is known as Dongshangxiang, from Dōng Shàng Xiàng meaning 'the first eastern minister'.
ζ Vir	Heze	The origin of this name is unknown.
η Vir	Zaniah	This star appears as Thanih al Aoua (from the Arabic al‑thānī al‑ʿawwāʾ meaning 'the second barker') in Mohammad Al Achsasi Al Mouakket's calendarium. In Chinese astronomy, this star is known as Zuozhifa, from Zuŏ Zhí Fă meaning 'the left law administrator'.
ι Vir	Syrma	This astrometric binary is fourth-magnitude.
κ Vir	Kang	This star is known as Wasat al Ghafr (from the Arabic wasṭ al‑ghafr meaning 'the middle covering') in Mohammad Al Achsasi Al Mouakket's calendarium.
λ Vir	Khambalia	This star bears the name of the Coptic lunar station in which is resides.
φ Vir	Elgafar	This fifth-magnitude star exhibits high proper motion.
Other Interesting Stars
FI Vir		This eleventh magntude star is 11 light years away from the solar system, making it one of our nearest neighbours. It appears on the sky map very near Zavijava (β Vir).
HD 102195	Flegetonte	This eighth-magnitude star is known to have at least one exoplanet and appears in the vicinity of Zavijava (β Vir).
HD 130322	Mönch	Located just south of 109 Vir, this eighth-magnitude star is known to have at least one exoplanet.
PSR B1257+12	Lich	Much to the scientific community's astonishment, this pulsar is known to have at least three exoplanets. It is found close to Vindemiatrix (ε Vir).
WASP‑39	Malmok	This twelfth-magnitude star is known to have at least one exoplanet and is found near Elgafar (φ Vir).
Deep Sky Objects
M49		The elliptical galaxy was the first member of the Virgo Cluster to be discovered. It is the brightest member of the group.
M58		A barred spiral galaxy, it is one of the brighter members of the Virgo Cluster of galaxies.
M59		At the heart of this elliptical galaxy lurks a supermassive black hole. M59 is also a member of the Virgo Cluster.
M60		Also a member of the Virgo Cluster, this elliptical galaxy has several satellite galaxies of its own.
M61		This barred spiral is one of the larger members of the Virgo Cluster.
M84		M84 is a lenticular galaxy located in the inner core of the Virgo Cluster of galaxies.
M86		Another lenticular galaxy in the heart of the Virgo Cluster, M86 has thousands of globular clusters.
M87	Virgo A	A supergiant elliptical galaxy, it is one of the brightest members of the Virgo Cluster. At its core is a supermassive black hole which is responsible for this galaxy being one of the brightest radio sources in the sky.
M89		Although an elliptical galaxy, M89's shape is, in fact, nearly spherical. It too is a member of the Virgo Cluster of galaxies.
M90		This is a member of the Virgo Cluster and is one of the biggest and brightest spiral galaxies known.
M104	Sombrero Galaxy	This magnificent spiral galaxy appears nearly edge-on to our line of sight. Unlike the previously mentioned objects, the Sombrero Galaxy is not a member of the Virgo Cluster.
C52		C52 is an elliptical galaxy which requires a telescope to observe it. It is found at number 4697 in the New General Catalogue.
3C 273		This is the first and (so far) brightest quasar discovered, and is possibly the most distant celestial object that can be seen with amateur equipment.