Epsilon Virginis
star in the zodiac constellation of Virgo
Epsilon Virginis (ε Virginis, abbreviated Epsilon Vir, ε Vir), formally named Vindemiatrix , is a star in the zodiac constellation of Virgo. The apparent visual magnitude of this star is +2.8, making it the third-brightest member of Virgo. Based upon parallax measurements made by the Hipparcos spacecraft, Vindemiatrix lies at a distance of about 110 light-years (34 parsecs) from the Sun, give or take half a light-year.
Stellar properties
Vindemiatrix is a giant star with a stellar classification of G8 III. With 2.7 times the mass of the Sun and at an age of 700 million years, it has reached a stage in its evolution where the hydrogen fuel in its core is exhausted. It is believed to be a red clump star; a red giant star fusing helium into carbon in its core surrounded by a shell fusing hydrogen into helium. As a result, it has expanded to 12 times the Sun's size and is now radiating around 82 times as much luminosity as the Sun. This energy is being emitted from its outer atmosphere at an effective temperature of 5,020 K, which gives it the yellow-hued glow of a G-type star. Since 1943, the spectrum of this star has served as one of the stable anchor points by which other stars are classified.
This star is a likely member of the thin disk population and the orbit departs by no more than 60 pc (200 ly) from the galactic plane.
Nomenclature
ε Virginis (Latinised to Epsilon Virginis) is the star's Bayer designation.
The public source identifies “Epsilon Virginis” as star in the zodiac constellation of Virgo. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Epsilon, Virginis and star.
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A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Epsilon Virginis”, the useful work is to connect “star in the zodiac constellation of Virgo” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
The citation trail is more important than the brevity of the summary: it shows where individual claims can be examined in context. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 13, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q14198. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1943.
The absence of detail may reflect summary conventions rather than a lack of surviving documentation. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
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This entry incorporates text from “Epsilon Virginis” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.