Spica, designated α Virginis, is the brightest object in the constellation Virgo and one of the 20 brightest stars in the night sky. Analysis of its parallax shows that it is located 250 ± 10 light years from the Sun. It is a spectroscopic binary star and rotating ellipsoidal variable; a system whose two stars are so close together they are egg-shaped rather than spherical, and can only be separated by their spectra. The primary is a blue giant and a variable star of the Beta Cephei type.
Beta Ursae Minoris, formally named Kochab, is the brightest star in the bowl of the Little Dipper asterism, and only slightly fainter than Polaris, the northern pole star and brightest star in Ursa Minor. Kochab is 16 degrees from Polaris and has an apparent visual magnitude of 2.08. The distance to this star from the Sun can be deduced from the parallax measurements made during the Hipparcos mission, yielding a value of 130.9 light-years.
Helianthus is a genus comprising about 70 species of annual and perennial flowering plants in the daisy family Asteraceae. Except for three South American species, the species of Helianthus are native to North America and Central America. The common names "sunflower" and "common sunflower" typically refer to the popular annual species Helianthus annuus, whose round flower heads in combination with the ligules look like the sun. This and other species, notably Jerusalem artichoke, are cultivated in temperate regions and some tropical regions as food crops for humans, cattle, and poultry, and as ornamental plants. The species H. annuus typically grows during the summer and into early fall, with the peak growth season being mid-summer.
The Gomphrenoideae are a subfamily of the Amaranthaceae.
Beta Aquarii is a star in the constellation of Aquarius. Based upon parallax measurements obtained during the Hipparcos mission, it is approximately 540 light-years (165 parsecs) from the Sun. The primary or 'A' component is officially named Sadalsuud, the traditional name for the system.
Beta Draconis, a name Latinized from β Draconis, is a binary star system and the third-brightest star in the northern circumpolar constellation of Draco. The two components are designated Beta Draconis A and B respectively. With a combined apparent visual magnitude of 2.79, it is bright enough to be easily seen with the naked eye. Based upon parallax measurements from the Hipparcos astrometry satellite, it lies at a distance of about 380 light-years from the Sun. The system is drifting closer with a radial velocity of −21 km/s.
Beta Coronae Borealis is a binary star in the constellation of Corona Borealis. It appears to the naked eye to be a single star and is the second-brightest star in its constellation with an apparent visual magnitude varying between 3.65 and 3.72. Based on parallax measurements taken during the Hipparcos mission, it is approximately 112 light-years from the Sun.
Beta Arae, the brightest star in the constellation of Ara, is a very luminous, relatively young, giant star with an apparent visual magnitude of 2.8 (rounded). Parallax measurements place it at roughly 650 light-years from Earth.
Beta Cephei is a triple star system of the third magnitude in the constellation of Cepheus. Based on parallax measurements obtained during the Hipparcos mission, it is approximately 690 light-years distant from the Sun. It is the prototype of the Beta Cephei variable stars.
Stellaria media, chickweed, is an annual and perennial flowering plant in the family Caryophyllaceae. It is native to Eurasia and naturalized throughout the world. This species is used as a cooling herbal remedy, and grown as a vegetable crop and ground cover for both human and poultry consumption. It is sometimes called common chickweed to distinguish it from other plants called chickweed. Other common names include chickenwort, craches, maruns, and winterweed. The plant germinates in autumn or late winter, then forms large mats of foliage.
Symphyotrichum is a genus of over 90 species of herbaceous annual and perennial plants in the composite family (Asteraceae) that were formerly treated within the genus Aster. The majority are endemic to North America, but several species also occur in the West Indies, Central and South America, as well as in eastern Eurasia. Many species have been introduced to Europe as garden specimens, most notably New England aster and New York aster.
The Donaciinae, aquatic leaf beetles, are a subfamily of the leaf beetle family Chrysomelidae, characterised by distinctly long antennae. They are found in mainly the Holarctic, with very few species in the Southern Hemisphere.
Combat Arms: Reloaded is a free-to-play multiplayer first-person shooter game developed and published by Nexon. The game uses the LithTech game engine to produce its graphics. In July 2012, Combat Arms was also released on Steam.
Cassida is a large Old World genus of tortoise beetles in the subfamily Cassidinae. Several species of Cassida are important agricultural pests, in particular C. vittata and C. nebulosa on sugar beet and spinach. The thistle tortoise beetle has been used as a biological control agent against Canada thistle.
Throscidae is a family of small false click beetles in the order Coleoptera. In North America, there are 3 genera and 20 described species.
Hypotrichia is a genus of May beetles and junebugs in the family Scarabaeidae. There is at least one described species in Hypotrichia, H. spissipes.
Polyphylla occidentalis is a species of scarab beetle in the family Scarabaeidae. It is found in North America.
Charidotella is a genus of tortoise beetles in the family Chrysomelidae. There are at least 100 described species in Charidotella.
Chionothrix is a genus of plants in the amaranth family, Amaranthaceae and is found in Africa distributed in north-east tropical africa.
Froelichia floridana is a species of flowering plant in the genus Froelichia, in the amaranth family (Amaranthaceae). It is known as prairie cottonweed, Florida snakecotton, large cottonweed, field snakecotton, or plains snakecotton. An annual, it produces white woolly flowers on tall flowering stalks, growing up to 40 in (1,000 mm) in height. The narrowly oblanceolate to elliptic leaves are opposite, occurring on the lower third of the stem. It grows in central and eastern North America, from the Great Plains to Mexico, east to the Atlantic Coast. Its propensity to spread easily has resulted in it being considered an agricultural weed and it is an invasive species in Australia.
