Corona Borealis and the Minotaur

If you look to the west just after dark (11 p.m. this time of year!), you can still see Arc­turus, the bright­est star of the spring sky, pretty high in the south­west. Above Arc­turus is a small but dis­tinc­tive cir­clet of stars called Corona Bore­alis, the North­ern Crown. Despite its size, it was a very impor­tant star to ancient civ­i­liza­tions, and sto­ries abound as to how it got in the sky.