spica

Spi·ca

S0635400 (spī′kə)n. A spectroscopic binary star, 245 light years from Earth, one of the brightest stars in the sky and the brightest star in the constellation Virgo.

[Latin Spīca, from spīca, ear of grain.]

spi·ca

S0635400 (spī′kə)n. pl. spi·cae (-kē, -sē) or spi·cas A bandage applied in overlapping opposite spirals to immobilize a digit or limb.

[Latin spīca, ear of grain (from its shape).]

spica

(ˈspaɪkə) n, pl -cae (-siː) or -cas1. (Medicine) med a spiral bandage formed by a series of overlapping figure-of-eight turns2. (Botany) botany another word for spike²¹[C15: from Latin: ear of corn]

Spica

(ˈspiːkə) n (Astronomy) the brightest star in the constellation Virgo. Distance: 260 light years

spi•ca

(ˈspaɪ kə)

n., pl. -cae (-sē), -cas for 1,2. 1. spike ². 2. a type of bandage in the shape of a figure eight, extending from an extremity to the trunk. 3. (cap.) a first-magnitude star in the constellation Virgo. [1350–1400; Middle English < Latin spīca literally, ear of grain; compare spike²]

Spi·ca

(spī′kə) A bright binary star in the constellation Virgo.

Thesaurus

Noun

Spica - the brightest star in VirgoVirgo - a large zodiacal constellation on the equator; between Leo and Libra

Translations

Spica

(spī`kə), brightest star in the constellation VirgoVirgo
[Lat.,=the virgin], constellation lying on the ecliptic (the sun's apparent path through the heavens) between Libra and Leo, and SW of Boötes; it is one of the constellations of the zodiac.
..... Click the link for more information. ; Bayer designation Alpha Virginis; 1992 position R.A. 13^h24.8^m, Dec. −11°07'. A bluish-white star of spectral classspectral class,
in astronomy, a classification of the stars by their spectrum and luminosity. In 1885, E. C. Pickering began the first extensive attempt to classify the stars spectroscopically.
..... Click the link for more information. B1 V, its apparent magnitudemagnitude,
in astronomy, measure of the brightness of a star or other celestial object. The stars cataloged by Ptolemy (2d cent. A.D.), all visible with the unaided eye, were ranked on a brightness scale such that the brightest stars were of 1st magnitude and the dimmest stars
..... Click the link for more information. averages about 0.96, making it one of the 20 brightest stars in the sky. Because it is an eclipsing binary starbinary star
or binary system,
pair of stars that are held together by their mutual gravitational attraction and revolve about their common center of mass. In 1650 Riccioli made the first binary system discovery, that of the middle star in the Big Dipper's handle, Zeta
..... Click the link for more information. , the magnitude ranges from 0.91 to 1.01 as the two components orbit about each other within a four-day period. Spica is at a distance of about 200 light-years. Its name is Latin for "ear of grain," referring to an ear of grain held by the figure traditionally associated with the constellation Virgo.

Spica

(spÿ -kă) (α Vir) A conspicuous blue-white star that is the brightest one in the constellation Virgo. It is an eclipsing binary, period 4.014 days, the primary (A) being a Beta Cephei star near to core hydrogen exhaustion. Spica, Denebola, Arcturus, and Cor Caroli form the quadrilateral shape of the Diamond of Virgo. m_v : 0.98 (var.); M_v : –3.2; spectral type: B1 V; distance: 67 pc.

Spica

(α Virginis), a star of the first visual magnitude. The brightest star in the constellation Virgo, Spica has a luminosity 740 times greater than that of the sun. Spica is approximately 50 parsecs from the sun.

Spica

[′spī·kə] (astronomy) A blue-white dwarf star of stellar magnitude 1.0, 160 light-years from the sun, spectral classification B1-V, in the constellation Virgo; the star α Virginis.

spica

[spi´kah] a figure-of-8 bandage, with turns crossing each other.

ban·dage

(ban'dij), Avoid using this word in the incorrect sense of dressing.1. A piece of cloth or other material, of varying shape and size, applied to a body part to provide compression, protect from external contamination, prevent drying, absorb drainage, prevent motion, and retain surgical dressings. 2. To cover a body part by application of a bandage.

spica

(spī′kə)n. pl. spi·cae (-kē, -sē) or spi·cas A bandage applied in overlapping opposite spirals to immobilize a digit or limb.

Acronym

Definition

SPICA➣Space Infrared Telescope for Cosmology and Astrophysics (Japan)

SPICA➣Shirley Price International College of Aromatherapy

SPICA➣Support Program for Instructional Competency in Astronomy (Cambridge, MA)

SPICA➣Society for the Preservation of Indian Culture in America

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Words related to Spica

noun the brightest star in Virgo

Related Words