The Constellation Directory

Abbreviation: Vir
Genitive: Virginis
Constellation family: Zodiac
Nearest constellations: Boötes, Coma Berenices, Corvus, Crater, Hydra, Leo, Libra, and Serpens
Right ascension: 13.21h
Declination: -3.73°
Visible between latitudes: +80° and -80°
Square degrees: 1294
Luminary: Spica (Alpha Virginis)
Named stars: Spica, Zavijava, Porrima, Auva, Vindemiatrix, Heze, Zaniah, Syrma, Rijl al Awwa
Notable deep sky objects: M49, M58, M59, M60, M61, M84, M86, M87, M90, M104

About

Virgo is the second-largest constellation, barely surpassed by the even-larger Hydra. Virgo is one of the twelve constellations of the zodiac and is visible throughout both hemispheres during May.

Spica—or Alpha Virginis—is the constellation's luminary and the fifteenth-brightest star in the night sky.

Virgo contains the Virgo Cluster, which is a cluster of over 2000 galaxies.

Mythology

Virgo has been associated with a range of mythological female figures. Those figures include Astraea, a woman who symbolized justice to the Greeks, and Ceres, the Roman goddess of agriculture.