SS Virginis


SS Virginis is a semiregular variable star that appears with a strong red hue. It varies in apparent magnitude from a maximum of 6.0 to a minimum of 9.6 over a typical period of 361 days. Max Wolf and Gisela Wolf announced the discovery of this star, from photographs taken at Heidelburg Observatory in 1905. Its spectral class is C63e, indicating that SS Virginis is a carbon star. SS Virginis has a hydrogen-alpha emission line that varies widely, synchronized with the overall variations in light. The line becomes far more prominent as the star becomes brighter. Observations made in the near-infrared spectrum indicate that it has a radius of 500 solar radii, and its temperature is between 2,405 and.
The location of SS Virginis is two degrees north-following of η Virginis.