Yet don't be surprised if you often see a bright visiting planet nearby. Virgo was long ago recognized for its importance, since it contains the Sun on the day of the Autumn Equinox. Spica lies nearly on the path the Sun follows across the sky, which is called the ecliptic. You won't see this constellation in the early autumn, for then Virgo lies in the daytime sky. The size of each star indicates its relative magnitude .
Constellation names are light blue .
Messier object numbers are pink . Globular clusters are gold starbursts . Open clusters are dotted white circles. Planetary nebula are green diamonds . Bright nebula are magenta squares .