Constellation Report

The constellation Bootes, the Herdsman, is a summer constellation. The actual meaning of Bootes is the Ox Driver, but due to the constellation's proximity to the two bears (Ursa Major and Minor), it is also referred to as the Bear Driver.

The constellation Bootes looks much like a kite. To find Bootes, first find it's brightest star, Arcturus. To find Arcturus, return to the Big Dipper. Follow the arc of the Big Dipper's handle to Arcturus - the "kite" rises from this star.

Deep Sky Report

First up, we have to mention Alpha Bootes, Arcturus. Arcturus is the 4th brightest star in the sky and the brightest star north of the celestial equator. Located a mere 37 light years from Earth, it is also one of the closest stars in the sky. Arcturus is estimated to be about 20 million miles in diameter - roughly 25 times the diameter of the Sun. Arcturus is the bright star at the base of the constellation.

Epsilon Bootes, also known as Izar, is a beautiful double star made up of a mag 2.5 primary and a mag 5.0 secondary star. The pair have beautifully contrasting colors of yellow and green. Izar is the bright star midway up the left side of the constellation.

Ok, let's start things off with Spiral Galaxy NGC5248(mag10.2). This beautiful galaxy has a bright core which you'll instantly see, and some interesting spiral arms, the number of which you see depending on the size of your telescope and the darkness of your skies. Anything less than about 8" shouldn't expose much of the arms - just a haze around a stellar core. 8" and larger (under dark skies) you'll begin to see structure in the arms. As you can see from the accompanying image, even long exposure CCD photographs are still barely resolving some of the fainter arms (top left and right).

Next we'll hit Spiral Galaxy NGC5676(mag10.9). Don't let this photo fool you. This galaxy compares well with the previous galaxy. It's a little smaller and ends up having a slightly higher surface brightness, so, the amount of detail should be quite similar. You'll notice that this galaxy has no bright stellar core. It's central region is less pronounced and seems to extend further from the galaxy's center; the arms also seem to show less structure.

Let's wrap things up with this weeks Utah Skies Challenge Object, Elliptical Galaxy NGC5820(mag11.9). This ought to be a fun one for you as it's in the middle of a crowded field of galaxies. NGC5820 will be the brightest one in the bunch. As you can see in the image, there is a relatively bright double star just to the side. Also, if your eyes, your scope, and your skies are good, you just might make out the faint extension along the southeast edge of the galaxy.

Good Luck!

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