Explore the Universe - Boötes

Boötes is a constellation in the northern celestial hemisphere that contains some very bright stars.  The alpha star in the constellation is called Arcturus and it is the fourth brightest star in the sky.  Boötes is pronounced 'Boe-Oh-Teez' and represents the herdsman.

There are many myths associated with Boötes.  It is variously known as a herdsman, plowman, ox-driver or hunter.  Due to its proximity next to Ursa Major a lot of the history behind the constellation is related to its more famous neighbour.  Ursa Major was once known as a cart or wain that was considered to be driven by Boötes.  Also, the Big Dipper is still called the plow in many places around the world with Boötes being the chief plowman of the sky.

Recalling the myth associated with Canis Minor we have a grape farmer named Icarius.  He made an extremely strong wine that made people seem like they were poisoned after they drank it.  The shepherds killed Icarius to avenge their fellowmen.  Zeus honored the humble farmer by placing him in the sky.

The constellation has a history told by historic North American tribes.  The native people of central Alaska called it Taluyaq which means 'fish trap'.

Boötes Observation Record

When I first started out in astronomy I always liked this constellation.  Arcturus was the first star I would typically see after the sun went down.  This triggered me to setup the telescope to learn more about the sky.  Also, with so many bright stars the constellation tends to be light pollution friendly and picked out by casual urban stargazers.  Boötes does not contain any Messier objects but it does contain a variety of meteor showers.  The most famous shower is the Quadrantids.  These occur during the first few days of the calendar year and at their peak can have more than 100 per hour radiating from Kappa Boötes.