Delta Boötis
double star in the northern constellation Boötes
Delta Boötis, Latinized from δ Boötis formally named Qigong, is a double star in the northern constellation of Boötes, forming the easternmost member of the constellation's kite-shaped asterism of brighter stars. Based upon parallax measurements, it is located at a distance of approximately 120.5 light-years (36.9 parsecs) from the Earth. The apparent visual magnitude of this star is 3.5, making it visible to the naked eye even during a Full Moon. The magnitude 7.81 companion can be viewed in binoculars or a small telescope.
Nomenclature
Delta Boötis is a Bayer designation that is Latinized from δ Boötis, and abbreviated Delta Boo or δ Boo. This star is sometimes called Princeps , meaning prince or prime in Latin. The origin of this name is unclear, although it usually appears in an astrological context.
In Chinese astronomy, 七公 (Qī Gōng), meaning Seven Excellencies, refers to an asterism consisting of δ Boötis, 42 Herculis, τ Herculis, φ Herculis, χ Herculis, ν1 Boötis and μ1 Boötis. Consequently, the Chinese name for δ Boötis itself is 七公七 (Qī Gōng qī, English: the Seventh Star of Seven Excellencies). R. H. Allen's Star Names (1899) referred to this asterism as Tseih Kung, "the Seven Princes".
“Delta Boötis” enters the record as double star in the northern constellation Boötes. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Delta, Boötis and double can confirm, complicate or overturn.
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This entry incorporates text from “Delta Boötis” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.