The Night Sky: May 2020
Here are some of the things to see in May:
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Spica
Night Sky Highlights: May 2019
Here are some of the things to see in May:
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The Night Sky This Month: November
Here are some of the things to see in November:
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Great Diamond
The Great Diamond, or Diamond of Virgo, is a prominent spring asterism formed by the bright stars Cor Caroli in Canes Venatici constellation, Arcturus in Boötes, Spica in Virgo, and Denebola in Leo. The asterism shares the stars Arcturus and Spica with the Spring Triangle, an asterism formed by these two stars with Regulus, the brightest star in Leo.
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Spring Triangle
The Spring Triangle is a prominent spring asterism formed by the bright stars Arcturus in Boötes constellation, Spica in Virgo, and Regulus in Leo. The asterism can be seen in the southeastern sky from March to May by observers in the northern hemisphere. It shares two stars – Arcturus and Spica – with the larger spring asterism known as the Great Diamond, or Diamond of Virgo.
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Night Sky Highlights in May
Here are some of the things to see in May:
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Highlights of the Night Sky in May
Here are some of the things to see in May:Read More »Highlights of the Night Sky in May
Arcturus
Arcturus, Alpha Boötis, is the brightest star in Boötes constellation and the fourth brightest star in the sky.
With an apparent magnitude of -0.04, Arcturus is the brightest star in the northern celestial hemisphere. (The three brightest stars – Sirius in Canis Major, Canopus in Carina, and Alpha Centauri in Centaurus – lie south of the celestial equator.)
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Spica
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 262 light years from Earth. Spica is really a close binary star system. It is one of the nearest massive binary stars to the solar system.
The name Spica (pronounced /ˈspaɪkə/) comes from the Latin phrase spīca virginis, meaning “Virgo’s ear of grain.” The Latin word spicum refers to the ear of wheat Virgo holds in her left hand. In Greek and Roman mythology, the constellation and the star were associated with Demeter (Ceres), the goddess of the harvest.
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