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The second-brightest star in the constellation Virgo, and a noted visual binary. The combined magnitude is 2.8, but the system actually consists of two stars, each of magnitude 3.6. The orbital period is about 171 years. The elliptical orbit causes the observed separation of the two stars to vary between 0.4 and 6 arc seconds. Periastron occurs in late 2007. At a distance of 36 light years, it is relatively close to the solar system. The name, of Latin origin, is that of a Roman goddess of prophecy.
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