Alpha Virginis, or Spica, is a 1.0 visual magnitude blueish star 262 light years away.

Like all zodiacal constellations, the stars of Virgo are found very near the ecliptic, the path of the Sun and all planets. Thus occasionally one will find a planet in the vicinity of its more southern stars.

Locating the star is quite easy as it form a large triangle with two other bright stars, Regulus and Arcturus: Spica.

The finest binary in Virgo is Porrima -- gamma Virginis, while the celebrated Sombrero Galaxy lies two fields of view to the west of Spica.