Boötes

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Boötes, pronounced with both 'O's as 'boötez',[1] is one of the 88 modern constellations in the northern sky. The name is from the Greek word Βοώτης, which means herdsman – someone who takes care of animals.

Boötes
Boötes
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List of stars in Boötes
Abbreviation: Boo
Genitive:
Symbology:
Right ascension: 15 h
Declination: +30°
Area: 907 sq. deg. (13th)
Main stars: 7, 15
Bayer/Flamsteed stars: 59
Stars known to have planets: 9
Bright stars: 3
Nearby stars: 3
Brightest star: Arcturus (α Boo) (−0.04m)
Nearest star: Wolf 498 ( ly)
Messier objects:
Meteor showers:
Bordering constellations:
Visible at latitudes between +90° and −50°
Best visible at 21:00 (9 p.m.) during the month of June
Other designations: Arctophylax
Boötes Constellation chart

Shape

The constellation's shape is like a kite. Boötes has the third brightest star in the night sky, called Arcturus (α Bootis).[2] The astronomer Ptolemy listed it in the 2nd century when he made a list of 48 constellations.[3]

The Cloverleaf quasar is visually in Bootes.

Main stars

  • α Bootis (Arcturus) is the brightest and most important star of the constellation, with a magnitude of -0.04, the 3rd brightest star of the sky. It is an orange giant star
  • β Bootis (Nekkar), yellow giant with magnitude 3.49 and 219 light years from the Earth
  • y Bootis (Ceginus), Delta Scuti variable with magnitude 3,04
  • δ Bootis (Princeps), another yellow giant.

Deep-sky objects

Boötes Media

References

  1. Thompson, Robert Bruce; Thompson, Barbara Fritchman (2007). Illustrated Guide Astronomical Wonders. O'Reilly Books. ISBN 978-0-596-52685-6.
  2. Jim Kaler. "Boötes". Stars. Retrieved 27 January 2013.
  3. Fuchs, Jim. "Constellation History". Modern Constellations. Archived from the original on 25 May 2012. Retrieved 27 January 2013.