Spica Table of Contents Introduction References & Edit History Related Topics Quizzes Astronomy and Space Quiz Space Odyssey Stars: Explosions in Space Brightest Star in the Solar System All About Astronomy Related Questions Why do stars tend to form in groups? Why do stars evolve? Read Next What's the Difference Between a Solstice and an Equinox? How Do We Know How Far Away the Stars Are? 6 Questions About the Sun Answered Telescopes: Seeing Stars Discover 10 Best Hockey Players of All Time 7 Deadliest Weapons in History How Did the Rainbow Flag Become a Symbol of LGBTQ Pride? The Top COVID-19 Vaccine Myths Spreading Online What’s the Difference Between Asian and African Elephants? Why Is Pride Month Celebrated in June? 6 of the First Women to Become Heads of State Contents Science Astronomy Spica star Actions Cite verified Cite While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Select Citation Style MLA APA Chicago Manual of Style Copy Citation Share Share Share to social media Facebook X URL https://www.britannica.com/place/Spica Give Feedback External Websites Feedback Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Feedback Type Select a type (Required) Factual Correction Spelling/Grammar Correction Link Correction Additional Information Other Your Feedback Submit Feedback Thank you for your feedback Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. External Websites Sky and Telescope - Meet Spica, the Ear of Grain Space.com - Spica: The Close Binary The Nine Planets - Spica (α Virginis) Facts The Planets - Spica Star - Features and Facts About Alpha Virginis Academia - Hesiod's calendar and the star Spica Print Cite verified Cite While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Select Citation Style MLA APA Chicago Manual of Style Copy Citation Share Share Share to social media Facebook X URL https://www.britannica.com/place/Spica Feedback External Websites Feedback Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Feedback Type Select a type (Required) Factual Correction Spelling/Grammar Correction Link Correction Additional Information Other Your Feedback Submit Feedback Thank you for your feedback Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. External Websites Sky and Telescope - Meet Spica, the Ear of Grain Space.com - Spica: The Close Binary The Nine Planets - Spica (α Virginis) Facts The Planets - Spica Star - Features and Facts About Alpha Virginis Academia - Hesiod's calendar and the star Spica Also known as: Alpha Virginis Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Last Updated: Jun 11, 2024 ? Article History Table of Contents Latin: “Head of Grain” (Show more) Also called: Alpha Virginis (Show more) See all related content → Spica , brightest star in the zodiacal constellation Virgo and one of the 15 brightest in the entire sky, having an apparent visual magnitude of 1.04. It is a bluish star; spectroscopic examination reveals Spica to be a binary with a four-day period, its two components being of the first and third magnitudes, respectively. Spica lies about 250 light-years from Earth . (List of Brightest Stars as Seen from Earth) Britannica Quiz Stars: Explosions in Space The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Erik Gregersen .