Eta Virginis
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Observation data Epoch J2000.0 |
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Constellation | Virgo |
Right ascension | 12h 19m 54.4s |
Declination | −0° 40' 01" |
Apparent magnitude (V) | +3.89 |
Distance | 250 ± 16 ly (77 ± 5 pc) |
Spectral type | A2IV |
Other designations | |
Eta Virginis (η Vir / η Virginis) is a star in the constellation Virgo. It also has the traditional name Zaniah.
Zaniah is about 204 light years distant from the Sun, and has apparent magnitude +3.9 and is of spectral type A2IV.
Although the star looks single in any telescope lunar occultations have shown this star to be a very close triple star system consisting of two stars only 0.5 AU apart with a third slightly more distant star.
Because Zaniah is near the ecliptic, it can be occulted by the Moon and (very rarely) by planets. The last occultation by a planet took place on September 27, 1843 by Venus, which will occult it again on November 19, 2445.