Virgo
Origin
The constellation Virgo is deeply rooted in ancient mythology, particularly in Greek and Roman traditions. It is most commonly associated with the Greek goddess Demeter, who was the goddess of agriculture and the harvest; Virgo is often identified as Demeter or her Roman counterpart, Ceres. According to the myth, Demeter's daughter, Persephone, was abducted by Hades and taken to the underworld. In her grief, Demeter neglected her duties, causing a devastating winter. To retrieve her daughter, Demeter struck a bargain with Zeus, which eventually led to Persephone's return, and Demeter's joy brought about the return of spring and the harvest. Virgo is often depicted as a maiden holding sheaves of wheat, symbolizing the bountiful harvest and the cycles of the seasons, making it a celestial tribute to the importance of agriculture and the changing of the seasons in ancient cultures.
Bright Stars
Spica (Alpha Virginis): Spica is the brightest star in the Virgo constellation and one of the brightest stars in the night sky. It's a binary star system consisting of two massive, hot stars.
The name Spica is derived from the Latin word for an ear of grain or ‘spike’, as it was often associated with the concept of the harvest. In ancient mythology, Spica is sometimes linked to the goddess of agriculture, often represented as a sheaf of wheat in the Virgo constellation, highlighting its connection to the changing of seasons and the agricultural calendar.
Porrima (Gamma Virginis): Porrima is a binary star system, and its two components are relatively close together. It's the second-brightest star in Virgo.
Vindemiatrix (Epsilon Virginis): Vindemiatrix is another bright star in Virgo. Its name means ‘the grape gatherer’ in Latin, reflecting its historical association with the autumn grape harvest.
Photo of the constellation Virgo produced by NOIRLab in collaboration with Eckhard Slawik, a German astrophotographer.
The annotations are from a standardized set of 88 western IAU constellations and stick figures from Sky & Telescope. Please find here a non-annotated version of the image.
Credit: E. Slawik/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/M. Zamani
Latin name
English name
Virgo
Pronunciation
VER-go
Abbreviation
Vir
Notable Objects
Messier 104 (the Sombrero Galaxy): While not part of the Virgo Cluster but located near Virgo, the Sombrero Galaxy is a famous object. It's an edge-on spiral galaxy with a prominent dust lane and a bright nucleus, making it suitable for small telescopes.
Messier 49: Messier 49 is one of the brightest elliptical galaxies in the Virgo Cluster and is a great target for a small telescope. It's relatively large and appears as a bright oval.
Messier 60: Messier 60 is a bright elliptical galaxy, also a member of the Virgo Cluster. It can be observed with a small telescope and appears as a fuzzy round object.
