SkyRef / Stars

Spica

Magnitude 0.98, blue-white. A first-magnitude star, among the brightest few dozen visible.

The numbers

Magnitude0.98
Colourblue-white
Right ascension13.420h
Declination-11.16°
B−V index-0.23
CatalogueHR 5056

What you are looking at

Spica shines at magnitude 0.98, making it a first-magnitude star, among the brightest few dozen visible. Its B−V colour index of -0.23 makes it blue-white to the eye, corresponding to a surface temperature of over 10,000 K.

It sits at right ascension 13.42 hours and declination -11.2°. It straddles the celestial equator, so it is visible from essentially anywhere on Earth at the right time of year.

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Other named stars

SiriusCanopusArcturusRigil KentaurusVegaCapellaRigelProcyonAchernarBetelgeuseHadarAltairAldebaranAntaresSpicaPolluxFomalhautMimosaDenebAcruxRegulusAdharaElnathAlphardAlnilamDenebolaCastorAlgolDubheKaus AustralisAlkaidPolarisAlnitakCaphMirachBellatrix