Observation History
Spica is believed to be the star that provided Hipparchus with the data that enabled him to discover precession of the equinoxes. A temple to Menat (an early Hathor) at Thebes was oriented with reference to Spica when it was constructed in 3200 BC, and, over time, precession resulted in a slow but noticeable change in the location of Spica relative to the temple. Nicolaus Copernicus made many observations of Spica with his home-made triquetrum for his researches on precession.
As one of the nearest massive binary star systems to the Sun, Spica has been the subject of many observational studies.
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