What is the size of star spica?
Spica, the luminary of Virgo, becomes prominent in the southeast in northern spring evenings, and can easily be found by following the curve of the Big Dipper’s handle through Arcturus and then on down. Though a large constellation, Virgo, the Virgin, does not have much of any prominent stellar pattern, relying on Spica to tell us where it is. The star lies about 10 degrees south of the celestial equator, and practically on the ecliptic, the path of the Sun, and is regularly occulted, or covered over, by the Moon. The Sun passes Spica in the fall, rendering the star a harvest symbol that is reflected in its name, from Latin meaning “ear of wheat,” the name actually going back to much more ancient times. Though at a distance of 250 light years (second Hipparcos reduction), Spica is still first magnitude (1.04), showing its absolute brilliance, the star visually 1900 times more luminous than the Sun. The apparent brightness is deceptive, however, as Spica actually consists of two stars v
