Sigma Boötis
Sigma Boötis is a star in the constellation Boötes.
Sigma Boötis is a yellow-white F-type main sequence dwarf with an apparent magnitude of +4.47. It is approximately 50.4 light years from Earth.
In Chinese, 梗河, meaning Celestial Lance, refers to an asterism consisting of σ Boötis, ε Boötis and ρ Boötis. Consequently, the Chinese name for σ Boötis itself is 梗河二
Located to the southeast of Rho Boötis, the dwarf Sigma may at first appear as a naked-eye double, but the angular proximity with Rho is merely line-of-sight. Like many of its spectral class, Sigma is apparently a variable of the Delta Scuti variety, which vary subtly with multiple periods of hours.
Infrared surveys with the Spitzer and Herschel space telescopes failed to detect an infrared excess around this star at wavelengths up to. However, the HOSTS Survey with the Large Binocular Telescope reported a detection of an excess in the far infrared, indicating the presence of exozodiacal dust near the habitable zone of the star.
