Starwatch: The moon is approaching the bright blue giant Virgo

Starwatch: The moon is approaching the bright blue giant Virgo



The month begins with the conjunction of the Moon in the sky with the constellation Virgo.

The graph shows the movement of heavenly bodies on February 11 from London. The connection will be visible the previous evening as well. The moon will rise into the night sky from the east. The Earth's satellite will be in the waning phase, and will be illuminated on 75% of its visible surface. The moon will merge with the star Spica.

Spica is a blue giant star located about 250 light years away. It is almost 7.5 times wider than the Sun and emits 20,000 times more light than our nearest star. It is the brightest star in Virgo and the 16th brightest star in the entire night sky. It can be used as a starting point for tracing the rest of Virgo's form.



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