The great celestial herdsman is beginning his long goodbye

Starwatch

Since early spring, the constellation Bootes the Herdsman has graced our Butler night skies, but now it’s well into its gradual farewell in the western heavens.

I’ve heard Bootes pronounced many different ways, but the correct pronunciation is “boo-oat-tees.” No matter how you say it, Bootes doesn’t really look that much like a herdsman, but easily resembles a giant kite flying high in the western skies in the early evening.

Finding Bootes early in the evening is easy. Just look for the brightest star you can see after evening twilight in the high western sky. That’s Arcturus, not only the brightest star in Bootes, but the second brightest star we see in our entire night sky any time of the year. It’s certainly the brightest star of summer!

If you need rock-solid confirmation