Spica Star

By: Katie Weitzel

Size

Spica:• Spica’s diameter is 7.34

times more then the sun’s diameter (1,217,133.2 km).

• The mass of Spica is 11/7 solar masses*.

Sun:• Diameter: 1,391,980km• Mass: 1 solar mass.

* Solar mass is a standard way to express mass in astronomy.

Did you know…

That Spica is a double star? But they are so close together that when you look in the night sky they look like one star.

Temperature

Spica’s temperature is 22,400/18,500 Kelvin

The Sun’s temperature is 5,778 Kelvin

Color

Spica:

• Spica is a Blue Giant

Sun:

• The Sun is yellow

Distance from the sun

Spica is 260 light years away from the sun.

Spica is so bright that even around the city lights you can still see it in the night sky.

Did you know…

That Spica is 2,300 times brighter then our sun?

Spica

VirgoSpica is located in the constellation Virgo. Spica

is the brightest star in Virgo.

Spica

The story of Virgo There once was a Greek goddess named Demeter who was the Earth goddess. The

daughter of Demeter was Persephone. One day Hades, God of the underworld asked Persephone to marry him, but Demeter would not stand for this. Still the two loved each other and one day Hades came and took Persephone with him in a black chariot drawn by four black horses. Demeter became worried about her daughter when she did not come back so Demeter started looking for her. After many days, Demeter finally found her daughter. There was a happy reunion, but Persephone said she loved Hades. So they made a compromise. Persephone would spend half her time with Hades in the underworld and the other half in Olympus with her mother. So in the winter wildlife dies off, then in the spring when Persephone returns, the cloak of death melts and every thing starts to grow. In the constellation Virgo, it is usually shown carrying two sheaves of wheat, marked by the star Spica. That is how Virgo got it’s name, because Virgo means ear of wheat or corn.

Did you know..

That Spica is the 16th brightest star in the night sky?

Birth

Spica was born from a Nebula and will die a Neutron star.

Did you know…

That Venus just passed Spica on November 3rd?

Spica is now in the stage labeled Massive Star.

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Did you know…

That Venus passed Spica on November 3rd 2009?

VenusSpica

The sizes are not correct, Spica is much bigger than Venus

Bibliography• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spica#Characteristics• http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&source=hp&q=spica%20constellation&um=1&ie=UTF-

8&sa=N&tab=wi&safe=active• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virgo_%28constellation• http://www.bramboroson.com/astro/images/starsize_compare.gif• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_giant• http://www.astrotheme.fr/images/spica.jpg• http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/luminosity• http://jumk.de/astronomie/big-stars/spica.shtml• http://www.google.com/#hl=en&ei=-

xwIS7LRCcGxnge9tv3DCw&sa=X&oi=spell&resnum=0&ct=result&cd=1&ved=0CBMQBSgA&q=diameter+of+spica&spell=1&fp=a50ffc77dda4c0bc

• http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=how+was+Spica+star+born&aq=f&oq=&aqi=• http://www.google.com/

#hl=en&q=mass+of+the+spica+in+solar+masses&aq=f&aqi=&oq=&fp=a50ffc77dda4c0bc• http://encyclopedia.kids.net.au/page/sp/Spica• http://www.space.com/spacewatch/spica_virgo_040611.html• http://stars.astro.illinois.edu/sow/bright.html• http://www.coldwater.k12.mi.us/lms/planetarium/myth/Virgo.html• http://www.myaquariusvirgo.com/virgo_constellation.php