Tag Archives: Boötes

The prominent springtime constellation Boötes contains a host of nice double stars. Like the colorful double star Xi Bootis in Bootes, Pi Bootis is a naked eye object under darker sky conditions with a magnitude of +5. While the pair is fairly bright, they are close in proximity, so you will need at least aContinueContinue reading “Pi Bootis: A Pair of White Stars in Bootes”

The prominent springtime constellation Boötes contains a host of nice double stars. One, in particular, XI Bootis, is a rare sight because it’s a naked-eye object with a mass and luminosity less than our sun. The primary star is 90% of the mass and 83% of the radius of the Sun. Due to XI Bootis’ContinueContinue reading “Xi Bootis: A Yellow and Reddish-Violet Double in Bootes”

Mu Boötis is a spring treat for those who enjoy observing multiple star systems. The system’s proper name is Alkalurops, which means “club” in Greek and represents a shepherd’s staff. With the naked eye from a dark site, one can see the primary star, Alkalurops A. It has a yellow, white color. Nearby are theContinueContinue reading “Mu Boötis: A Triple Treat of Stars”

Whenever I see Arcturus, I imagine standing with 30,000 other people at the opening of the Chicago World’s Fair on May 27, 1933. At 9:15 that evening, observatories in four locations across the eastern U.S. aimed their scopes on Arcturus. The bright star’s light set off photocells at each location. In turn, these devices sentContinueContinue reading “Arcturus: The Great Light Switch of the Chicago World’s Fair”