SaltLakeCommunityCollege

VirgoConstellation

JaceyIverson
PHYS1040
JanaleeHarrison
Dec.1,2015

Mythology
Virgoisknownasthegoddessofjustice,Dike.HerfatherisZeus,therulerofthesky.
HermotherisknownasGreekTitanessThemis,theGreekgoddessoflawandorder.TheGreek
peoplesawherasbeingtheGreekgoddessofjustice.ShewasbornhumanintheGoldenage
whenlifewasnothingbutpeaceful.Whenshewassenttoearthshewasrulerofjusticeoverall
humanbeings.Zeusinformedthehumansaboutthefourseasonsafterhetookoverhisfathers
place.ThefourseasonsintroducedtheSilverAge.Thehumansdidntlookuptothegodsasthey
hadbefore.Dikethreatenedthem,explaininghowbadthingsaregoingtohappeniftheydont
respecttheirancestors.Theydidntlisten,whichcausedthehumanswar.ThisangeredDike,so
sheleftthemandwenttotheheavens.Virgoisseenwiththewingsofanangelandsheis
holdingastemofwheat.ThestemofwheatrepresentstheemergenceofSpring,whichtiesinto
theconstellationVirgobeingthemothertotheearth.Manygoddesseswhoareconnectedto
Virgoareharvestgoddesses.TheyeachhavemythswhichrelatetoVirgo.Themyth,The
GoddessofTheSpringSeason,PersephoneistakenawaybyHades,thegodoftheunderworld.
Inordertogetherback,hermother,aharvestgoddessdestroystheharvestfeelinganguished.
WhentheSpringgoddessreturns,Springisrebuilt.ThisoccursduringthesametimeasVirgo,
MarchthroughAugust.Intimesliketoday,scientistswillobserveconstellationssuchasVirgo
anduseittotrytofindnewinformation.[2]


PrimaryStars:
Name

RA

Spica

Distance VM
(ly)

SC

h m
s
13
25
11.60
110940.5

262

0.98

B1V

GammaVirginisA

h m
s
12
41
40.00
012658.3

39

2.74

F0V+...

EpsilonVirginis

h m
s
13
02
10.76
+105732.8

102

2.85

G8IIIvar

ZetaVirginis

h m
s
13
34
41.75
003545.4

73

3.38

A3V

DeltaVirginis

h m
s
12
55
36.48
+032351.4

202

3.39

M3III

BetaVirginis

h m
s
11
50
41.29
+014555.4

36

3.59

F8V

GammaVirginisB

h m
s
12
41
39.60
012658.0

109Virginis

h m
s
14
46
14.99
+015334.6

129

3.73

A0V

MuVirginis

h m
s
14
43
03.56
053926.7

61

3.87

F2III

EtaVirginis

h m
s
12
19
54.39
004000.3

250

3.89

A2IV

NuVirginis

h m
s
11
45
51.57
+063147.3

313

4.04

M0III

LotaVirginis

h m
s
14
16
00.88
055958.3

70

4.07

F7V

OmicronVirginis

h m
s
12
05
12.67
+084358.2

171

412

G8III

KappaVirginis

h m
s
14
12
53.74
101626.6

223

4.18

K3III

TauVirginis

h m
s
14
01
38.78
+013240.5

218

4.23

A3V

ThetaVirginis

h m
s
13
09
57.01
053220.1

415

4.38

A1V

110Virginis

h m
s
15
02
54.07
+020528.6

183

4.39

K0III

LambdaVirginis

h m
s
14
19
06.60
132216.2

187

4.52

A1V

PiVirginis

h m
s
12
00
52.39
+063651.8

356

4.65

A5V

ChiVirginis

h m
s
12
39
14.81
075943.8

318

4.66

K2III

[6]

DEC


Constellation:
Virgoispartofthetwelvezodiacconstellations,categorizedbyaGreekastronomer,
Ptolemy.[1]Theyallliealongtheeclipticplane.TheVirgoconstellationisclassifiedbetween
theconstellationsLeoandLibra.TheconstellationLibra,scalesofjustice,isconnectedtoVirgo
bybeingplacednexttoher.VirgogetsitsnamefromtheLatinmeaningselfcontained.Those
bornwiththeVirgozodiacsignaresaidtobeindependentandrelyonthemselves,ratherthan
relyingonsomeoneelse.

Virgoisthesecondlargestconstellation.TheconstellationHydrabeingthefirst[3].
Virgosareameasures1,294squaredegrees.SheisnoticeableinboththeSouthernandNorthern
hemispheres[19].IfyouarelocatedintheNorthernHemisphere,youllbeabletoseeherfrom
MarchtoJuly.ButifyoureintheSouthernhemisphere,shecanbeseeninAutumnandWinter.
Although,theconstellationwillbevisibleupsidedowncomparedtotheNorthernhemisphere
[4].Thelatitudesappearbetweenpositiveeightyandnegativeeightydegrees.VirgosRight
AscensionisthirteenhoursandtheDeclinationisequaltozerodegrees[5].Itisborderedby
severalconstellations.ThesebeingBootes,ComaBerenices,Leo,CraterCorvus,Hydra,Libra,
Serpens,andCaput.Shehasthegreatestamountofstarsthathaveknownplanets.Twentyhave
beendiscoveredandthisismorethananyotherconstellation.[2]

ObjectsofInterest:
ManydeepskyobjectshavebeendiscoveredintheVirgoconstellation.Ellipticalgalaxy
Messier49hasadistanceof60,000(kly)fromEarth.TheRightAscensionis12:29.8(h:m)and
theDeclinationisequaltopositive08:00(deg:m).Thevisualmagnitudeis8.4(mag).Charles

Messierwasthefirstpersontodiscoverthisgalaxyandcatalogueit.TheEllipticalgalaxy
MessierisoneofthebrightestgalaxiesintheVirgoconstellation.[18]
TheSpiralGalaxyMessier58sdistancefromEarthis60,000(kly).TheRightAscension
is12:37.7andtheDeclinationispositive11:49(deg:m).Itsvisualmagnitudeequals9.7
(mag).ThefirstpersontodiscoverthisgalaxyintheyearwasCharlesMessierintheyear1779.
Itsdiscoverywasoneofthefirstspiralgalaxiesfound.Itisoneofthebrightestgalaxiesinthe
Virgoconstellationandisfoundtobeinbetweennormalandabarredspiral.Smalltelescopeslet
usexamineonlyitsbrightnucleus.[9]
EllipticalgalaxyMessier59islocated60,000(kly)fromEarth.ItsDeclinationisa
positive11:39(deg:m)anditsRightAscensionis12:42.0(h:m).Ithasavisualmagnitudeof
9.6(mag).TheEllipticalgalaxyMessier59wasdiscoveredin1779byJohannGottfried
Koehler.Itisoneofthebiggestellipticalgalaxies,butitsluminosityandmassarelowerthan
themoreextremeellipticalgalaxies.Ithastwoaxissandoneismeasuredtwiceaslongasthe
shorterone.[10]
TheEllipticalgalaxyMessier60ismeasured60,000(kly)fromEarth.IthasaRight
Ascensionof12:43.7(h:m)anditsDeclinationispositive11:33(deg:m).Thisgalaxysvisual
brightnessis8.8(mag).ItwasdiscoveredbyJohannGottfriedKoehlerin1779.Itisfoundasa
giantellipticalgalaxyintheVirgoconstellation.Alowmagnifications,youcanviewitthrougha
telescopebesideEllipticalgalaxyMessier59.Itsdistancewouldbe25arcminutesaway.
KoehlerfoundthisgalaxywheniswasfollowingacometonApril11,1779.OnApril12,1779,
BarnabusOrianidiscoveredthesamegalaxy,butseemedtohavemissedtheEllipticalgalaxy

Messier59,whichwasrightbesideit.Itsmagnitudeshowsitasbeingextremelybright.Its
brightnessiscomparedtothebrightnessof60billionsuns.[11]
TheSpiralgalaxyMessier61wasdiscoveredonMay5,1779,byBarnabusOriani.Itis
intheSouthernmostpartinVirgo.CharlesMessierspottedthisspiralgalaxyonthesamedayas
Oriani,buthadmistakenitforacomet,untilhenoticedthattherewasntanymovement.The
SpiralgalaxyMessier61hasadistancefromEarthof60,000(kly).ItsRightAscensionis12:
21.9(h:m)anditsdeclinationisapositive04:28(deg:m).Thevisualmagnitudeismeasuredto
be9.7(mag).[12]
TheLenticular(S0)galaxyMessier84hasadistanceof60,000(kly)fromEarth.Its
RightAscensionis12:25.1anditsDeclinationispositive12:53(deg:m).Thisgalaxysvisual
brightnessis9.1(mag).ItwasdiscoveredonMarch18,1781byCharlesMessier.Onthesame
dayhemeasuredsevenothernebulousobjectsintheVirgoconstellation.TheLenticulargalaxy
M84islocatedintheinnercoreofthevirgo.In1997,theHubbleSpaceTelescopeuseditasa
targettofindtheevidencethatitcontainsacentralobjectof300millionsolarmasses.[13]
CharlesMessier,discoveredtheLenticular(S0)galaxyMessier86,onMarch18,1781,
alongwithsevenothernebulousobjectsinthesamelocationintheVirgoconstellation.This
galaxyisabrightgiant.Itssystemhasglobularclusters,althoughitislessoccupiedthanthe
giantsnearit.ItisfoundtohaveahighervelocitythantheothergalaxiesinVirgo.Itsdistance
fromEarthis60,000(kly).IthasaRightAscensionof12:26.2(h:m)andadeclinationof
positive12:57(deg:m).Thegalaxyalsoismeasuredata8.9visualmagnitude.[14]
TheEllipticalgalaxyMessier87isagiantgalaxythatisalsoreferredtoas,VirgoA.This
galaxysvisualbrightnessis8.6(mag).ItsRightAscensionis12:30.8(h:m)andhasa

declinationofpositive12:24(deg:m).ThedistancefromEarthis60,000(kly).Itisknowntobe
themostimportantandpowerfulgalaxythatislocatedinthebiggestclusternearesttous.Itwas
discoveredbyCharlesMessieronMarch18,1781withsevenotherobjectsinVirgoandone
otherobjectlocatedoutsideofit.Astronomersarestilltryingtofigureoutifthefunctionofthe
luminosityisthesamespiralsthattheMilkyWaygalaxyhas.M87appearstohavemanymore
starsandmuchmoremassthanourgalaxy.Thisgiantgalaxyalsoisfoundtohaveagreat
amountofluminocity.Anastronomer,DavidMalindiscoveredthatthisgalaxyprotrudesout
wayfartherthanwhatMessierhadprovenbefore.Hefoundthatthediameterofthegalaxyis
morethanourfullmoon.ThereasonwhytheEllipticalgalaxyMessier87isalsoknownas,
VirgoAisbecauseitwasdiscoveredthroughapowerfulradiosourcenamed,VirgoA.Its
radiusismeasuredtobe60lightyearsandithastwotothreebillionsolarmasses.Thetwo
amusingfeaturesthatthisgalaxyhasisamassiveglobularclusterandajet.Investigatorsare
veryintriguedwiththisgalaxythattheyareusingtheHubbleSpaceTelescopetodosome
seriousinvestigation.[15]


[2]

[16]

[17]

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