Virgo

Also known as Vir, Virginis, Virgo (constellation)

zodiac constellation passing through the celestial equator

AI overview

Virgo is a constellation that lies along the celestial equator, the imaginary line that divides the sky into northern and southern hemispheres. It is one of the zodiac constellations that ancient astronomers used to track the sun's path through the sky over the course of a year.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Wikidata facts

Instance of: zodiacal constellation
Official name: Virgo
Area: 1294
Shares border with: Hydra
Image: VirgoCC.jpg

Show 7 more facts

notation: ♍
short name: Vir
Commons category: Virgo (constellation)
topic's main category: Category:Virgo (constellation)
Commons gallery: Virgo
topic has template: Template:Virgo (constellation)
on focus list of Wikimedia project: Wikipedia:Vital articles/Level/4

Sources (6)

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Encyclopedic overview

Virgo is one of the constellations of the zodiac. The name means "maiden" in Latin and its traditional astrological symbol is . Between Leo to the west and Libra to the east, lying in the south, it is the second-largest constellation in the sky (after Hydra) and the largest constellation in the zodiac. The ecliptic intersects the celestial equator within this constellation and Pisces. Underlying these technical two definitions, the sun passes directly overhead of the equator, within this constellation, at the September equinox. Virgo can be easily found through its brightest star, Spica, (in Latin "grain headed").

Characteristics

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Virgo” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.