<ul><li>Boötes, the herdsman, is a prominent constellation in the northern hemisphere's spring night sky and is one of the International Astronomical Union's 88 official constellations.</li><li>Despite being known as the herdsman, some stories associate Boötes with a ploughman driving the constellation of Ursa Major, the great bear, around the pole.</li><li>Boötes is often depicted as associated with the constellation of Canes Venatici, the hunting dogs, on old star maps where he is shown holding these dogs on a leash.</li><li>The brightest star in Boötes is the red giant star Arcturus, the fourth brightest star in the night sky, emitting around 170 times more light than our Sun, visible in the southern hemisphere near the northern horizon.</li></ul>

Starwatch: Boötes, the herdsman ploughing the heavens

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