Key facts
- Category
- Stars
- Object class
- B-type giant star
- Mass
- ~11.4 solar masses
- Host
- Spica system
- Scale fact
- 10.4 million kmdiameter
- Estimated age
- ~12.5 million years
- Composition
- Hydrogen and helium
- Temperature
- ~25,300 K surface
Spica A
10.4 million kmdiameter
Visual creditscaleofspace.org / CC BY-NC 4.0
Details
Spica A is the hot blue primary in the Spica binary and a Beta Cephei variable near the end of its main-sequence life. Its rapid rotation and close companion distort the star into an ellipsoidal shape, so the unresolved system brightens and dims slightly as the stars orbit.
Spica A is the hotter, more massive member of a close binary whose components complete an orbit in about four days. Rotation and the companion’s gravity distort the star from a sphere, producing regular changes in the unresolved system’s brightness.
The star also pulsates as a Beta Cephei variable.
Links
- Editorial guides
- Universe journey
- Solar neighborhood
- Preset views
- Wikipedia
- Spica A on Wikipedia
Size neighbors
Objects near Spica A on the scale
Sources
References for Spica A
Measurements and descriptive context are compiled by the Scale of Space team from the references below. If you find an error, please let us know.
- Spica A — Wikipedia
- Visual: scaleofspace.org / CC BY-NC 4.0
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About
Scale of Space is a scroll-based journey through the universe, placing objects on a single logarithmic scale so you can compare size across an unbroken range.
Guides explain selected parts of that range, while focused views filter the objects by subject.