The Constellation Bootes, the Herdsman
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Bootes
Bootes, the herdsman, rides through the sky during the late Spring and
early Summer. Bootes is fun to look at because it has the shape of a
kite, with the bright star
Arcturus
at the point of the kite where the tail is attached.
Arcturus is the brightest
star in Bootes, and the fourth brightest star in the whole sky.
It is a very large ("supergiant"!) star, with a bright orange-red
color.
Bootes was identified with
a farmer who plows the land during spring. The Romans believed that
Bootes was the herdsman of the seven oxen represented by the seven
stars of the Big Dipper.
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