Custom Classroom Resources will not
be available after August 1st, 2008.
If you would like to access resources you have
created for future use, you will need to save them
to your local computer.
Boötes
Boötes, the herdsman is making his way higher and higher in the sky as the nights progress in May. At the base of this large constellation is the fourth brightest star in the night sky—Arcturus (“guardian of the bear”)—easily found by following the “arc” of the big dipper's handle southward. Robert Burnham reported in his Celestial Handbook that officials at the 1933 World's Fair in Chicago used light from this star—which was thought to be 40 light years away—to activate the switch for the fair's floodlights (commemmorating the 1893 Chicago fair, 40 years earlier). The stars of Boötes make a kite-like formation with the tail starting at Arcturus. Just east of Boötes is the rounded cap of Corona Borealis (northern crown), easy to spot with its U-shaped collection of seven stars.
Southern Meteor Shower
For Observers in southern latitudes, a meteor shower—the Eta Aquarids—peaks during the first week of May.
Clusters and Whirlpools
A magnificent cluster and a stunning spiral galaxy await you in the diminutive constellation Canes Venatici (the hunting dogs). M3 is a globular cluster with about half-a-million stars found at the southern end of this constellation. At the north end, near the tip of the big dipper's handle, is M51—the Whirpool galaxy. With a medium telescope, the whirlpool shape can be detected, along with its companion galaxy—NGC 5195.
Boötes, the herdsman is making his way higher and higher in the sky as the nights progress in May. At the base of this large constellation is the fourth brightest star in the night sky—Arcturus (“guardian of the bear”)—easily found by following the “arc” of the big dipper's handle southward. Robert Burnham reported in his Celestial Handbook that officials at the 1933 World's Fair in Chicago used light from this star—which was thought to be 40 light years away—to activate the switch for the fair's floodlights (commemmorating the 1893 Chicago fair, 40 years earlier). The stars of Boötes make a kite-like formation with the tail starting at Arcturus. Just east of Boötes is the rounded cap of Corona Borealis (northern crown), easy to spot with its U-shaped collection of seven stars.
Clusters and Whirlpools
