SkyEye: Boötes

The Herdsman

Abbreviation:	Boo
Genitive:	Boötis
Origin:	[antiquity]
Fully Visible:	34°S – 90°N

Many ancient civilisations formed the stars of Boötes into various constellations but it isn't clear which figure from Greek mythology it is supposed to represent. Over the years several other constellations have been formed in and around Boötes but none of them survive. However, the name of one of them, Quadrans Muralis (the mural quadrant), devised by Jérôme Lalande in 1795, lives on every January when the Quadrantid meteor shower comes to life.

The constellation of Boötes

Notable Features

Visible Named Stars
α Boo	Arcturus	The 'bear watcher' (the meaning of the name) is a first magnitude star and the brightest one north of the celestial equator. This star appears as Al Simak al Ramih (from the Arabic al‑simāk al‑rāmiḥ meaning 'the lance-bearing sky-raiser') in Mohammad Al Achsasi Al Mouakket's calendarium. In Chinese astronomy, this star is known as Dajiao, from Dà Jiăo meaning 'the great horn'. In Hindu astronomy, it is known as Swati, from the Sanskrit svāti meaning 'very good'.
β Boo	Nekkar	This star appears as Merez in Antonín Bečvář's Atlas of the Heavens — Ⅱ Catalogue 1950.0. The derivation of the name is unknown.
γ Boo	Seginus	This star appears as Haris (from the Arabic hāris al‑shamāl meaning 'the guardian of the north') in Antonín Bečvář's Atlas of the Heavens — Ⅱ Catalogue 1950.0 and as Menkib al Aoua al Aisr (from the Arabic al‑mankib al‑ʿawwāʾ lʾaysar meaning 'the left shoulder of the barker') in Mohammad Al Achsasi Al Mouakket's calendarium. In Chinese astronomy, this star is known as Zhaoyao, from Zhāo Yáo meaning 'the twinkling indicator'.
ε Boo	Izar	A small telescope reveals this object to be a binary star of contrasting colours. It sometimes appears as Mirak (from the Arabic ʾal‑marāqq meaning 'the loincloth') or Pulcherrima (from the Latin pulcherrima meaning 'the most beautiful') in older star atlases and catalogues. It is known as Mintek al Aoua (from the Arabic al‑minṭāqah al‑ʿawwāʾ meaning 'the belt of the barker') in Mohammad Al Achsasi Al Mouakket's calendarium.
η Boo	Muphrid	This star appears as Ramih al Ramih (from the Arabic al‑rumḥ al‑rāmiḥ meaning 'the lance of the lance-bearer') in Mohammad Al Achsasi Al Mouakket's calendarium.
λ Boo	Xuange	This star sometimes appears as Aulad Althiba (from the Arabic awlād al‑ḍibāʿ meaning 'the wolf cubs') in older star atlases and catalogues.
μ¹ Boo	Alkalurops	This is part of a multiple star which can be seen through binoculars.
38 Boo	Merga	This is one of the fainter stars in the sky to have a traditional Arabic name.
Other Interesting Stars
HD 131496	Arcalis	This eighth-magnitude star is known to have at least one exoplanet and is found very near ξ Boo.
HD 136418	Nikawiy	This eighth-magnitude star is known to have at least one exoplanet. It is located not far from Nekkar (β Boo).
Deep Sky Objects
C45		This spiral galaxy is visible only through a telescope, being eleventh magnitude in brightness. It is also known as NGC 5248.
Meteor Shower Radiants
010 QUA	Quadrantids	Peaking at the beginning of January, these meteors are moderately bright and travel at medium speed. The radiant is in the empty reaches north of Boötes and thus is circumpolar for many northern hemisphere observers. It has been conjectured that the asteroid 2003 EH1 (which in turn may be the same object as comet C/1490 Y1) is the source of this shower.
170 JBO	June Boötids	Slow but bright, these meteors make their presence known during the month of, surprise, June. Comet 7P/Pons-Winnecke is responsible for the show.