Spica is a rotating ellipsoidal variable, which is a non-eclipsing close binary star system where the stars are mutually distorted through their gravitational interaction. This effect causes the apparent magnitude of the star system to vary by 0.03 over an interval that matches the orbital period.

May 19, 2024 · The star Spica – aka Alpha Virginis – is the brightest star in the constellation Virgo the Maiden. From a distance of about 250 light-years, Spica appears to us on Earth as a lone...

Jan 20, 2020 · Spica is the brightest star in the constellation of Virgo, and one of the 20 brightest stars in the night sky. It is the 17 th brightest star, and it is a spectroscopic binary star being a rotating ellipsoidal variable.

Mar 17, 2025 · It is a blue-white giant star that shines with a luminosity over 2,000 times that of our Sun: 80% of the light in the star system comes from Spica A. With a diameter approximately 10 times larger than the Sun, Spica A is an impressive celestial body.

The star Spica is a blue subgiant star that is really a close binary star system. It is one of the nearest massive binary stars to the Solar System. It is classified as a double-lined spectroscopic binary star, showing a Doppler shift in the absorption lines of the stars’ spectra.

Jan 8, 2025 · Spica is the 15th brightest star in the sky and the brightest in the Virgo constellation. The star is also known as Alpha Virginis and is situated around 250 light-years from Earth. Spica is...

Oct 8, 2019 · Spica, Alpha Virginis (α Vir), is a blue-white spectroscopic binary star located at a distance of 250 light years from Earth in the constellation Virgo. With an apparent magnitude of 0.97, it is the brightest star in Virgo and the 16th brightest star in the sky.

Feb 15, 2025 · Spica, brightest star in the zodiacal constellation Virgo and one of the 15 brightest in the entire sky, having an apparent visual magnitude of 1.04. It is a bluish star; spectroscopic examination reveals Spica to be a binary with a four-day period, its two

Aug 25, 2014 · Spica, Alpha Virginis, is the brightest star in the southern constellation Virgo and the 16th brightest star in the sky. It is a blue subgiant star located at a distance of 250 light years from Earth.

May 6, 2019 · Spica is the brightest star in the constellation Virgo, and one of the top 20 overall brightest stars visible to us, so it’s quite well known. Yet Spica isn’t a singleton: it’s actually two stars.