What is special about Arcturus's brightness?

It is the faintest naked-eye star

Why was Arcturus used to open the 1933 Chicago World's Fair?

Its light was thought to have left during the 1893 fair

What is notable about Arcturus's movement?

It moves quickly across the sky compared with most bright stars

Arcturus Quiz: Bootes and the Brightest Northern Star

Light from an orange giant opened the 1933 Chicago World's Fair, and this Arcturus quiz explains why that star was chosen. Play an interactive set of 10 questions on the constellation Bootes, the arc from the Big Dipper, its ranking among the brightest stars, its orange color, its size, its distance, the name's meaning and its fast motion across the sky.

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🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

Constellation
In which constellation is Arcturus?
Arc
How can you find Arcturus from the Big Dipper?
Rank
What is special about Arcturus's brightness?
Type
What kind of star is Arcturus?
Color
What color does Arcturus look?
Distance
Roughly how far away is Arcturus?
Size
Roughly how much wider than the Sun is Arcturus?
Name
What does the name Arcturus mean?
Fair
Why was Arcturus used to open the 1933 Chicago World's Fair?
Motion
What is notable about Arcturus's movement?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: In which constellation is Arcturus?
Answer: Bootes
Bootes is the herdsman.
Q2: How can you find Arcturus from the Big Dipper?
Answer: Follow the curve of the handle
Arc to Arcturus is the memory aid.
Q3: What is special about Arcturus's brightness?
Answer: It is the brightest star in the northern celestial hemisphere
Only three stars are brighter overall.
Q4: What kind of star is Arcturus?
Answer: An orange giant
It has used up its core hydrogen.
Q5: What color does Arcturus look?
Answer: Orange
Its cooler surface gives this tint.
Q6: Roughly how far away is Arcturus?
Answer: About 37 light-years
It is relatively close.
Q7: Roughly how much wider than the Sun is Arcturus?
Answer: About 25 times
It is swollen as a giant.
Q8: What does the name Arcturus mean?
Answer: Guardian of the bear
It follows the Great Bear.
Q9: Why was Arcturus used to open the 1933 Chicago World's Fair?
Answer: Its light was thought to have left during the 1893 fair
Astronomers captured its light with telescopes.
Q10: What is notable about Arcturus's movement?
Answer: It moves quickly across the sky compared with most bright stars
It has a high proper motion.

Arcturus Quiz – Bootes and the Brightest Northern Star

Arcturus is the brightest star in the constellation Bootes and the brightest star in the northern celestial hemisphere. Only Sirius, Canopus and Alpha Centauri appear brighter in the whole night sky.

It is an orange giant about 37 light-years away and roughly 25 times wider than the Sun. Stargazers find it by following the curve of the Big Dipper's handle, using the phrase arc to Arcturus. Its name means guardian of the bear.

In 1933 light from Arcturus was used to switch on the lights of the Chicago World's Fair, because its light was thought to have left the star during the 1893 fair. Arcturus also has a high proper motion, moving noticeably across the sky over centuries.

What This Quiz Teaches

Stargazers and students will enjoy these questions.

Where Arcturus is
How to find it
What kind of star it is
How far away it is
Which stories surround it

Did You Know?

Arcturus is best seen in spring and summer evenings in the north.
It is older than the Sun.
Spica lies further along the same arc.
It may have come from a merged galaxy.
Its light reaches us in under 40 years.