Virgo
Quick Facts| Name: | Virgo
VURR-go | | Meaning: | Virgin | | Abbreviation: | Vir | | Genitive: | Virginis | | Visible in Latitudes: | 80° thru -80° | | Viewing Season: | Spring | | Best Seen In: | May, 9:00 pm | | Transit Date: | April 13 | | Right Ascension: | 13.21 hours | | Declination: | -3.7 degrees | | Area: | 1294.428 sq. degrees |
Star Diagram
About VirgoVirgo, the Virgin, probably originated when the Sun was in Virgo during the spring equinox, the time of the Egyptian harvest. She is usually drawn holding a palm branch and an ear of wheat. To the Babylonians, she was the goddess Istar, Queen of the stars, and the lover of the god of corn, Tammuz. Tammuz was cut down in his prime in the autumn, and so Virgo travels the underworld to bring him back. While Virgo is in the underworld, winter reigns, when she returns with him in the spring, the season renews.
Named Stars | | | | Name | Star |
|---|
| Spica | Alpha Vir | | Zavijah | Beta Vir | | Porrima | Gamma Vir | | Auva | Delta Vir | | Vindemiatrix | Epsilon Vir | | Heze | Zeta Vir | | Zaniah | Eta Vir | | Syrma | Iota Vir | | Rijl al Awwa | Mu Vir |
Messier Objects | | | | Name | Type |
|---|
| M49 | Elliptical Galaxy | | M58 | Spiral Galaxy | | M59 | Elliptical Galaxy | | M60 | Elliptical Galaxy | | M61 | Spiral Galaxy | | M84 | Elliptical Galaxy | | M86 | Elliptical Galaxy | | M87 | Elliptical Galaxy | | M89 | Elliptical Galaxy | | M90 | Spiral Galaxy | | M104 | Spiral Galaxy |
Neighboring Constellations | 
