The figure in the sky: north is up, east is to the left. Larger dots are brighter stars.

Constellation

Boötes

The shape: a kite or an ice-cream cone with orange Arcturus.

Boötes, the Herdsman, drives the bears around the celestial pole. His star Arcturus means “guardian of the bear” and is the brightest star in the northern sky. Here is how to find it: simply follow the curve of the Plough's handle onwards.

The stars of the figure

From bright to faint. Brightness is given in magnitudes (mag): the smaller the number, the brighter the star.

Arcturus · -0.05 mag
Izar · 2.37 mag
Muphrid · 2.68 mag
Seginus · 3.03 mag
DeltaBoo · 3.47 mag
Nekkar · 3.5 mag
RhoBoo · 3.58 mag

Shooting stars from the constellation Boötes

Quadrantids: these shooting stars seem to come from this part of the sky. More under Meteor showers.

In the 3D model

In the 3D model, under “Explore”, the sky dome shows when the constellation Boötes can be seen above Switzerland. “Constellations in 3D” shows how far apart its stars really are.

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