Bootes

English name Pleasant

Major
stars alpha Bootis Arcturus magn. 0,0 RA: 14h 15m 39.85s Dec: +19° 11' 01.1"
gamma Bootis Haris magn. 3,0 RA: 14h 32m 04.70s Dec: +38° 18' 29.4"
delta Bootis magn. 3,5 RA: 15h 15m 30.16s Dec: +33° 18' 53.5"
epsilon Bootis Izar magn. 2,7 RA: 14h 44m 59.24s Dec: +27° 04' 27.1"
eta Bootis Muphrid magn. 2,8 RA: 13h 54m 41.09s Dec: +18° 23' 52.5"

Description Bootes is a big constellation that from equator proximities stretches itself toward the northern regions, touching Ursa Maior.
The brightest star of the constellation, Arcturus (from Greek, "keeper of the bear"), is the fourth star of the whole sky in order of brightness: it is an orange giant which is 36 light-years away from us. Arcturus is a star whose end is near: once it was probably similar to our Sun (and therefore, within some billion of years, also the Sun will become as Arcturus).
In the constellation of Bootes there are some interesting double stars. The best is without doubt Izar, nicknamed Pulcherrima (that is "very beautiful", in Latin): it is composed by an orange giant and by a green-blue companion; to separate them you need at least a 75-mm aperture and a high enlargement. Other doubles are: kappa Bootis, composed by two white stars; my Bootis (called Alkarulops, that is, from Arab, "shepherd's stick"), whose components rotate round each other with a 260-year period; xi Bootis, formed by a yellow star and an orange one.

Mythology
and history The constellation is identified with Arcas, son of Zeus and Callisto. Arcas was brought up by his maternal grandfather Lycaon, to whom one day Zeus went and had a meal. To verify that the guest was really the king of the gods, Lycaon prepared him a dish with the Arcas' meats. Zeus notice the deception and became very angry: he transformed Lycaon into a wolf and gave back life to his son.
In the meantime Callisto had been transformed into a she-bear, or for work of Hera, Zeus' jealous wife, or for work of Zeus himself in order to subtract her to Hera's revenge. When he was grown up, Arcas met with the she-bear and, since obviously he didn't recognize her as his mother, he began to chase her: Callisto, followed by Arcas, sheltered herself in a temple, a sacred place whose profaners were certainly convicts to death. To avoid them such fate, Zeus decided to set his son and his lover in the sky: Arcas became Bootes and Callisto was Ursa Maior.
There is another version, told by Hyginus, that identifies this constellation with Icarus, the first man to whom Dionysus taught how to make wine. For his history, see the mythology of Canis Minor.

English name	Pleasant

Major stars	alpha Bootis	Arcturus	magn. 0,0	RA: 14h 15m 39.85s	Dec: +19° 11' 01.1"
	gamma Bootis	Haris	magn. 3,0	RA: 14h 32m 04.70s	Dec: +38° 18' 29.4"
	delta Bootis		magn. 3,5	RA: 15h 15m 30.16s	Dec: +33° 18' 53.5"
	epsilon Bootis	Izar	magn. 2,7	RA: 14h 44m 59.24s	Dec: +27° 04' 27.1"
	eta Bootis	Muphrid	magn. 2,8	RA: 13h 54m 41.09s	Dec: +18° 23' 52.5"

Description	Bootes is a big constellation that from equator proximities stretches itself toward the northern regions, touching Ursa Maior. The brightest star of the constellation, Arcturus (from Greek, "keeper of the bear"), is the fourth star of the whole sky in order of brightness: it is an orange giant which is 36 light-years away from us. Arcturus is a star whose end is near: once it was probably similar to our Sun (and therefore, within some billion of years, also the Sun will become as Arcturus). In the constellation of Bootes there are some interesting double stars. The best is without doubt Izar, nicknamed Pulcherrima (that is "very beautiful", in Latin): it is composed by an orange giant and by a green-blue companion; to separate them you need at least a 75-mm aperture and a high enlargement. Other doubles are: kappa Bootis, composed by two white stars; my Bootis (called Alkarulops, that is, from Arab, "shepherd's stick"), whose components rotate round each other with a 260-year period; xi Bootis, formed by a yellow star and an orange one.

Mythology and history	The constellation is identified with Arcas, son of Zeus and Callisto. Arcas was brought up by his maternal grandfather Lycaon, to whom one day Zeus went and had a meal. To verify that the guest was really the king of the gods, Lycaon prepared him a dish with the Arcas' meats. Zeus notice the deception and became very angry: he transformed Lycaon into a wolf and gave back life to his son. In the meantime Callisto had been transformed into a she-bear, or for work of Hera, Zeus' jealous wife, or for work of Zeus himself in order to subtract her to Hera's revenge. When he was grown up, Arcas met with the she-bear and, since obviously he didn't recognize her as his mother, he began to chase her: Callisto, followed by Arcas, sheltered herself in a temple, a sacred place whose profaners were certainly convicts to death. To avoid them such fate, Zeus decided to set his son and his lover in the sky: Arcas became Bootes and Callisto was Ursa Maior. There is another version, told by Hyginus, that identifies this constellation with Icarus, the first man to whom Dionysus taught how to make wine. For his history, see the mythology of Canis Minor.

Bootes

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