Boötes facts for kids
| Constellation | |
List of stars in Boötes
|
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| Abbreviation | Boo |
|---|---|
| Symbolism | the herdsman |
| Right ascension | 15 |
| Declination | +30 |
| Quadrant | NQ3 |
| Area | 907 sq. deg. (13th) |
| Main stars | 7, 15 |
| Bayer/Flamsteed stars |
59 |
| Stars with planets | 9 |
| Stars brighter than 3.00m | 3 |
| Stars within 10.00 pc (32.62 ly) | 3 |
| Brightest star | Arcturus (α Boo) (−0.04m) |
| Meteor showers |
|
| Visible at latitudes between +90° and −50°. Best visible at 21:00 (9 p.m.) during the month of June. Other designations: Arctophylax |
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Boötes is a cool constellation you can find in the northern sky. It's one of the 88 official constellations we use today. The name "Boötes" comes from an old Greek word. It means "herdsman," which is someone who looks after animals like cows or sheep.
Contents
What Boötes Looks Like
This constellation has a shape that looks a bit like a kite flying high in the sky. It's pretty easy to spot if you know where to look!
Arcturus: The Brightest Star
Boötes is home to a very special star called Arcturus. This star is super bright! In fact, it's the third brightest star you can see in the entire night sky. Arcturus is an orange giant star, which means it's much bigger and brighter than our Sun.
Long, long ago, in the 2nd century, a famous astronomer named Ptolemy wrote about Boötes. He included it in his list of 48 constellations. This shows that people have been looking at and naming these star patterns for a very long time!
Main Stars in Boötes
Besides Arcturus, there are other interesting stars in the Boötes constellation:
- α Bootis (Arcturus) is the most important star here. It's a huge orange giant star and the third brightest star in the sky.
- β Bootis (Nekkar) is a yellow giant star. It's about 219 light years away from Earth.
- γ Bootis (Ceginus) is a special kind of star called a variable star. This means its brightness can change a little over time.
- δ Bootis (Princeps) is another yellow giant star in the constellation.
Deep-Sky Objects in Boötes
When astronomers look really far out into space, they find amazing things beyond just stars. These are called deep-sky objects. Boötes has a couple of cool ones:
- NGC 5248 is a spiral galaxy. Imagine a giant pinwheel made of billions of stars! You can find it about 10 degrees south of Arcturus.
- NGC 5466 is a globular cluster. This is like a giant ball packed with thousands of old stars, all held together by gravity. It's located about 9 degrees northwest of Arcturus.
Images for kids
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Boötes shown in an old star map from around 1825. He holds his hunting dogs, Canes Venatici.
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A digital picture of Tau Boötis b, a planet orbiting a star in Boötes.
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How the HD 128311 star system has changed over time.
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A Quadrantid meteor caught by a special camera during a 4-second photo.
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A bright Quadrantid meteor seen at dawn.
See also
In Spanish: Bootes para niños
