Spica
Where is Spica?
Below the horizon after dark tonight in Virgo. Rises 08:21.
- Rises
- 08:21
- Highest
- 13:30
- Sets
- 18:35
- Best after dark
- —
Can I see Spica tonight?
From London tonight, Spica isn’t above the horizon while the sky is dark. It rises at 08:21 and sets at 18:35, in daylight or twilight.
At magnitude 1.0 it is one of the brighter points in the sky, easy to see by eye when it’s clear.
This is position and timing only: clouds, haze and light pollution aren’t included.
What does Spica look like?
Spica looks blue-white to the eye. Its spectral type is B 2 V +B2V: hot blue-white main-sequence star (much hotter than the Sun).
Eyes
A bright blue-white star in a fairly empty part of the spring sky.
Binoculars
A bright blue-white point.
Telescope
A single point: its two stars are far too close to split. The galaxies of the Virgo Cluster lie to its north.
About Spica
Spica is the brightest star in Virgo, the Maiden. Its name means “ear of grain”, which the maiden holds.
It is actually two hot blue-white stars orbiting each other in just four days, so close that they are distorted into egg shapes. The pair is about 250 light-years away.
Spica lies close to the ecliptic, so the Moon and planets often pass near it.
The two stars of Spica are about 10 and 7 times the mass of the Sun. The larger one is massive enough that it will probably end as a supernova.
More than 2,000 years ago, the Greek astronomer Hipparchus compared his measurements of Spica’s position with older records and discovered the slow wobble of Earth’s axis, known as precession.
Spica is the brightest point in a large region of faint stars, so it is easy to recognize once you have found it.
Spica in Virgo
Questions
How do I find Spica?
Is Spica a double star?
Sources: SkyMate; Wikidata (CC0). Positions computed for your place and time with astronomy-engine. Data & Licences