Bootes

the Herdsman

Brightest star: Arcturus
Best seen: April to August, in the evening
Where: Seen from both hemispheres; best from the north in spring and early summer.
Abbreviation: Boo

How to find Bootes

Follow the curve of the Big Dipper's handle away from the bowl: 'arc to Arcturus'. Arcturus is orange and the brightest star north of the celestial equator. Bootes rises from it as a kite shape.

The story

Bootes is the herdsman or ploughman who follows the Great Bear around the pole. Arcturus means 'guardian of the bear'.

Worth knowing

Arcturus is an old orange giant about 37 light years away, many times larger than the Sun.

Bootes in seven cultures

Greek
Homer's Odyssey already uses Boötes for sailing at night, calling it "late-setting".
Chinese
Arcturus was Dajiao, the "great horn" of the Azure Dragon of the east.
Arabic
Arab astronomers called Arcturus as-simak ar-ramih, "the raised one of the lancer".
Indian
In Indian astronomy Arcturus is Swati.
Yup'ik
In the Yup'ik language Boötes is Taluyaq, a fish trap.
Aboriginal Australian
The Wotjobaluk people of south-eastern Australia knew Arcturus as Marpean-kurrk, mother of Djuit (Antares).
Polynesian
Polynesian navigators knew Arcturus as Hōkūleʻa, the "Star of Joy".

Around the world

Greek

Homer's Odyssey already uses Boötes for sailing at night, calling it "late-setting". There are several stories about who he is. One makes him Philomenus, son of the harvest goddess Demeter, who invented the plough. In another, told by Hyginus, he is Icarius, a farmer taught to make wine by Dionysus. Shepherds who drank it thought they had been poisoned and killed him; his daughter Erigone and his dog Maera died of grief, and Zeus placed all three in the sky as Boötes, Virgo and a dog.

Chinese

Arcturus was Dajiao, the "great horn" of the Azure Dragon of the east. It was given great importance because it marked the start of the lunar calendar. Two small groups beside it were helpers who kept the seasons in order. Further north, Chinese astronomers saw a spear, a halberd, a lance and a sword, and a ceremonial banquet mat for the emperor.

Arabic

Arab astronomers called Arcturus as-simak ar-ramih, "the raised one of the lancer". Another Arabic name means "keeper of heaven" or "keeper of the north".

Indian

In Indian astronomy Arcturus is Swati. It has also been called "the real pearl" in classical Sanskrit poetry.

Yup'ik (Alaska)

In the Yup'ik language Boötes is Taluyaq, a fish trap. The funnel-shaped part of the trap has its own name, Ilulirat.

Aboriginal Australian

The Wotjobaluk people of south-eastern Australia knew Arcturus as Marpean-kurrk, mother of Djuit (Antares). On Milingimbi Island in Arnhem Land, Arcturus and a nearby star were a man and a woman.

Polynesian (Hawaiian)

Polynesian navigators knew Arcturus as Hōkūleʻa, the "Star of Joy". It passes straight overhead in Hawaii. Using it and other stars, voyagers sailed double-hulled canoes north from Tahiti and the Marquesas to Hawaii.

Folk beliefs and customs

Grape harvest in Greece. The poet Hesiod, about 700 BC, told farmers to cut and bring home the grapes when dawn first shows Arcturus in September. In Plato's writing "the rising of Arcturus" simply means the fig and grape harvest. Sophocles has a shepherd graze his flock "from spring until Arcturus".
Spring food in Australia. For the Wotjobaluk, Arcturus showing in the north meant the larvae of the wood ant, a food, had arrived. When it set with the Sun at the start of summer, the larvae were gone.
Harvest call in Arnhem Land. On Milingimbi Island, Arcturus at sunrise was the sign to go and gather spikerush.
Finding Hawaii. Sailing north, navigators knew they had reached Hawaii's latitude when Hōkūleʻa stood directly overhead; then they turned west with the trade winds. For the trip home they used Sirius, which passes overhead in Tahiti. A modern voyaging canoe launched in 1976 is named Hōkūleʻa and has sailed this way many times.

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