Home > Constellations, Ephemeris Program, Mythology > Ephemeris: 05/15/2025 – Finding Virgo the virgin in the spring sky

Ephemeris: 05/15/2025 – Finding Virgo the virgin in the spring sky

May 15, 2025

This is Ephemeris for Thursday, May 15th. Today the Sun will be up for 14 hours and 50 minutes, setting at 9:04, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:13. The Moon, 3 days past full, will rise at 12:36 tomorrow morning.

Located below the bright star Arcturus, high in the southeast, and below and left of Leo the lion, which is high in the south, lies the constellation of Virgo the virgin with its bright star Spica. Other than Spica, Virgo contains only dim stars. It’s quite large, extending to the upper right, and to the left of Spica. Virgo represents several goddesses. The Greek harvest goddess Persephone, whose Roman name is Ceres, which is the root of our word cereal, is one. The bright star Spica is the ear of wheat that she’s holding in her hand. Some see her standing at an odd angle, I see her reclining. Virgo also represents Astraea the goddess of Justice, with her scales, the constellation Libra, at her feet low in the southeast.

The astronomical event times given in this blog are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (Lat 44.7° N, Long 85.7° W; EDT, UT – 4 hours) unless stated otherwise. Times will be different for other locations.

Addendum

A Finder chart for the constellation Virgo
A Finder chart for the constellation Virgo the virgin in three frames. Showing first just the stars as they would appear in the sky, then the constellation lines, and then the constellation art from Stellarium for Virgo and Libra. During the period that these constellations will appear in the sky in the evening, Mars will be crossing into and through Leo from now to the beginning of August, when it will enter Virgo. Created using Stellarium and GIMP.

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