Spica facts for kids

Spica is a bright blue star that you can see in the night sky. It's the brightest star in the constellation called Virgo. Imagine a giant cosmic diamond, and Spica would be one of the biggest! It's much, much larger than our own Sun, more than seven times bigger!

About Spica

Spica is a special type of star known as a blue main-sequence star. This means it's very hot and shines with a blue-white light. It's also in the main part of its life, like our Sun, but it's much more massive and brighter.

Where to Find Spica?

You can easily spot Spica in the constellation Virgo. Virgo is one of the largest constellations in the sky. To find Spica, you can look for the Big Dipper (part of Ursa Major). Follow the arc of the Big Dipper's handle to the bright star Arcturus, and then "spike" on to Spica! It's a fun way to navigate the night sky.

How Big is Spica?

Spica is truly enormous compared to our Sun. If our Sun were a basketball, Spica would be like a small car! Its huge size means it burns through its fuel much faster than smaller stars. This also makes it incredibly bright, even though it's quite far away from Earth.

Images for kids

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  Spica is the brightest star in the constellation of Virgo (lower left).

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  How to locate Spica in the night sky.

See also

In Spanish: Espiga (estrella) para niños