Zeta Virginis

ζ Virginis (Latinised to Zeta Virginis) is the system's Bayer designation. The designations of the two components as Zeta Virginis A and B derive from the convention used by the Washington Multiplicity Catalog (WMC) for multiple star systems, and adopted by the International Astronomical Union (IAU). Zeta Virginis bore the name Heze in a 1951 publication, Atlas Coeli (Skalnate Pleso Atlas of the Heavens), by Czech astronomer Antonín Bečvář. Its origin is unknown. to catalog and standardize proper names for stars. The WGSN decided to attribute proper names to individual stars rather than entire multiple systems. It approved the name Heze for the component Zeta Virginis A on 1 June 2018 and it is now so included in the List of IAU-approved Star Names. Consequently, the Chinese name for ζ Virginis is (, ). In traditional Indian astronomy, the star Āpa is described as being 6° to the north of Āpaṃvatsa (74 Virginis), so 11° north of Chitra (Spica), as first attested in the text Sūryasiddhānta. This position corresponds to ζ Virginis. == Properties ==

The primary, ζ Virginis A, is a main sequence star with a spectral class A3 V, In 2010, a low mass stellar companion was discovered - Zeta Virginis B. Though it has not been under observation for a sufficient length of time to determine accurate orbital elements, it is estimated to be orbiting at an average separation of at least 24.9 AU with an orbital eccentricity of 0.16 or more and orbital period of a minimum of 124 years. This companion is a red dwarf star, which would explain the observed X-ray flux from this system. ==References==