Constellation-Guide: Boötes constellation lies in the northern hemisphere. Its name comes from the Greek word Βοώτης, Boōtēs, which means ox driver, plowman, or herdsman. The correct pronunciation is /boʊˈoʊtɨs/, with each ‘o’ pronounced separately and stress on the second syllable. Boötes was first catalogued by the Greek astronomer Ptolemy in the 2nd century. The constellation is home to Arcturus, the third individual brightest star in the night sky, after Sirius in Canis Major and Canopus in Carina constellation.
Boötes is traditionally depicted as a herdsman with two hunting dogs on a leash and a club in his other hand. In the sky, Boötes follows Ursa Major around the pole. In one story, the constellation represents a ploughman driving the oxen in the Ursa Major constellation, followed by his two dogs, Asterion and Chara (represented by the constellation Canes Venatici, the Hunting Dogs). The ploughman’s oxen are tied to the polar axis and their movement keeps the skies in constant rotation .
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