Spica

High school (ages 12+)
Space & Astronomy

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/spica

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the stellar system classification?Spectroscopic binary and rotating ellipsoidal variable
2. What is the parallax distance?250 ± 10 light-years
3. Why do the two stars in Spica look like one?Because the stars are extremely close, we cannot see them separately with a telescope; their combined light appears as a single bright point.
4. How do scientists know Spica has two stars?By studying the star’s light spectrum, astronomers see the spectral lines shift back and forth, a Doppler effect that shows the two stars orbit each other.

Spectroscopic Binary: A binary star system detected and studied through the analysis of its spectral lines, revealing orbital motion.
Rotating Ellipsoidal Variable: A binary system where tidal forces distort the stars into ellipsoidal shapes, causing brightness variations.