Taurus (constellation)

For other uses of the word "Taurus" see Taurus.

, Unicode ♉) is one of the constellations of the zodiac. It sits large and prominent in the winter sky, between Aries to the west and Gemini to the east; to the north lie Perseus and Auriga, to the southeast Orion, and to the southwest Eridanus and Cetus.

Notable features

One of the few first magnitude stars in the sky, the bright red Aldebaran, sits in the middle of this constellation. The horns of the bull stretch off to the west, marked by β Tau, traditionally shared with Auriga) and ζ Tau.

Notable deep sky objects

In the east of the constellation lies one of the best known open clusters, easily visible to the eye, the Pleiades.

Behind Aldebaran lie the Hyades, the nearest distinct open star cluster, that with it form a V in the sky marking the bull's head.

Another object, visible in a telescope, is the Crab Nebula (M1), a supernova remnant northeast of Zeta. The explosion, seen on Earth on July 4, 1054, was bright enough to be seen by day. It is mentioned in Chinese history texts and Native American pottery.

Mythology

The identification of the constellation of Taurus as a bull may be quite old. Dr Michael Rappenglück of the University of Munich believes that Taurus is represented in the Hall of the Bulls in the caves at Lascaux. The paintings are some 16,500 years old. One of the painted bulls is near a cluster of dots that looks like the Pleiades, and which is the correct position over its shoulder to be that asterism.[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/871930.stm The same pattern is found in pits in the floor, which could have been filled with oil and lit to recreate the lights of the Pleiades inside the cave, though there is no evidence that this actually happened.

In Greek mythology, this corresponds with the bull-form Zeus took in order to win Europa, a mythical Phoenician princess, and thus father of Minos. As such, since it is necessary to traverse the area of sky known as the Sea to reach it when passing through the Zodiac, it forms the origin of the myth of the Cretan Bull, one of The Twelve Labours of Herakles.

Astrology

In Western Astrology the sun is in the sign of Taurus from April 20 to May 20 in the tropical zodiac and May 14 to June 19 in the sidereal zodiac.

Notable and named stars

الدبران ad-dabarān The follower the Pleiades
cor tauri The heart of the bull

النطح an-naţħ The butting (horn)

Αλκυώνη
member of the Pleiades open cluster
double star; component magnitudes 2.85, 8.3

天關 tiānguān The heavenly mountain pass
? al-haq'ah The white spot?
Gamma Cassiopeiae type variable star

member of the Hyades open cluster
Delta Scuti type variable star

Eclipsing binary

عين ^{c^ain} eye
oculus boreālus The northern eye
member of the Hyades open cluster

Άτλας
member of the Pleiades open cluster
triple star system; component magnitudes: 4.1, 5.6, 6.8

member of the Hyades open cluster

Ηλέκτρα
member of the Pleiades open cluster

Eclipsing binary

member of the Hyades open cluster

member of the Hyades open cluster

Μαία
member of the Pleiades open cluster

member of the Hyades open cluster
six star system

member of the Hyades open cluster

member of the Hyades open cluster
Delta Scuti type variable star

member of the Hyades open cluster
Alpha2 Canum Venaticorum type variable star

Ταΰγετη
member of the Pleiades open cluster

semiregular variable
diameter 510 times that of the Sun

member of the Hyades open cluster

member of the Hyades open cluster
Delta Scuti type variable star

member of the Hyades open cluster

member of the Hyades open cluster

member of the Hyades open cluster

member of the Hyades open cluster

member of the Hyades open cluster

Κελαινό
member of the Pleiades open cluster

member of the Hyades open cluster

Αστεροπή
member of the Pleiades open cluster

Αστεροπή
member of the Pleiades open cluster

has 2 planets

variable star, prototype of the T Tauri variables

variable star, prototype of the RV Tauri variables

pulsar in the Crab Nebula

BD	F	Names and other designations	Mag.	Ly away
α	87	Aldebaran, Alpha Tauri, Cor Tauri, Parilicium	0.87	65.1
β	112	Beta Tauri, El Nath, Alnath, Nath	1.65	131
η	25	Alcyone, Eta Tauri	2.85	440
ζ	123	Zeta Tauri, Tien Kwan, Alheka	2.97	417
θ²	78	Theta-2 Tauri	3.40	153
λ	35	Lambda Tauri	3.41	370
ε	74	Epsilon Tauri, Ain, Oculus Borealus	3.53	155
ο	1	Omicron Tauri	3.61	212
	27	Atlas, 27 Tauri	3.62	440
γ	54	Gamma Tauri, Hyadum I, Prima Hyadum, Primus Hyadum	3.63	154
	17	Electra, 17 Tauri	3.72	440
ξ	2	Xi Tauri	3.73	222
δ¹	61	Delta-1 Tauri, Hyadum II, Secunda Hyadum, Secundus Hyadum	3.77	153
θ¹	77	Theta-1 Tauri	3.84	153
	20	Maia, 20 Tauri	3.87	440
ν	38	Nu Tauri	3.91	129
	23	Merope, 23 Tauri	4.14	440
f	5	5 Tauri	4.14
κ¹	65	Kappa-1 Tauri	4.21	148
d	88	88 Tauri	4.25
μ	49	Mu Tauri	4.27	435
τ	73	Tau Tauri	4.27	401
c¹	90	90 Tauri	4.27
υ	69	Upsilon Tauri	4.28	155
	10	10 Tauri	4.29
δ³	68	Delta-3 Tauri, 68 Tauri	4.30	148
q	19	Taygeta, Taÿgete, 19 Tauri	4.30	440
	119	119 Tauri, CE Tauri	4.32	1920
A¹	37	37 Tauri	4.36
	71	71 Tauri	4.48
	136	136 Tauri	4.56
ι	102	Iota Tauri	4.62	163
ρ	86	Rho Tauri	4.65	152
σ²	92	Sigma-2 Tauri	4.67	155
π	73	Pi Tauri	4.69	455
δ²	64	Delta-2 Tauri, 64 Tauri	4.80	146
	139	139 Tauri	4.81
	47	47 Tauri	4.84
	126	126 Tauri	4.84
o	114	114 Tauri	4.88
	132	132 Tauri	4.88
	134	134 Tauri	4.89
m	104	104 Tauri	4.91
ω²	50	Omega-2 Tauri	4.93	291
n	109	109 Tauri	4.96
	75	75 Tauri	4.96
φ	52	Phi Tauri	4.97	342
	111	111 Tauri	5.00
b	79	79 Tauri	5.02
	28	Pleione, 28 Tauri, BU Tauri	5.05	440
σ¹	91	Sigma-1 Tauri	5.08	155
e	30	30 Tauri	5.08
i	97	97 Tauri	5.08
r	66	66 Tauri	5.10
s	4	4 Tauri	5.14
	41	41 Tauri	5.18
	125	125 Tauri	5.18
ψ	42	Psi Tauri	5.21	90.0
	58	58 Tauri	5.26
κ²	67	Kappa-2 Tauri, 67 Tauri	5.27	148
l	106	106 Tauri	5.28
	133	133 Tauri	5.28
	46	46 Tauri	5.29
	40	40 Tauri	5.32
u	29	29 Tauri	5.34
	56	56 Tauri	5.34
	121	121 Tauri	5.37
χ	59	Chi Tauri	5.38	268
p	44	44 Tauri	5.39
	83	83 Tauri	5.40
	115	115 Tauri	5.40
	16	Celaeno, 16 Tauri	5.45	440
c²	93	93 Tauri	5.45
	36	36 Tauri	5.46
	81	81 Tauri	5.47
	118	118 Tauri	5.47
	130	130 Tauri	5.47
	53	53 Tauri	5.50
	103	103 Tauri	5.50
ω¹	43	Omega-1 Tauri	5.51	93.5
	116	116 Tauri	5.52
	72	72 Tauri	5.53
	122	122 Tauri	5.53
	135	135 Tauri	5.54
	12	12 Tauri	5.55
h	57	57 Tauri	5.58
	80	80 Tauri	5.58
	137	137 Tauri	5.60
	32	32 Tauri	5.62
	21	Asterope, Sterope I, 21 Tauri	5.64	440
	51	51 Tauri	5.64
	63	63 Tauri	5.64
	18	18 Tauri	5.66
	31	31 Tauri	5.66
	120	120 Tauri	5.67
	13	13 Tauri	5.68
	45	45 Tauri	5.71
	60	60 Tauri	5.72
	131	131 Tauri	5.72
t	6	6 Tauri	5.76
	117	117 Tauri	5.77
	89	89 Tauri	5.78
k	98	98 Tauri	5.79
	99	99 Tauri	5.79
	105	105 Tauri	5.84
A²	39	39 Tauri	5.90
	76	76 Tauri	5.90
	7	7 Tauri	5.95
	129	129 Tauri	6.00
	85	85 Tauri	6.01
	33	33 Tauri	6.05
	96	96 Tauri	6.09
	110	110 Tauri	6.09
	11	11 Tauri	6.11
	14	14 Tauri	6.13
	95	95 Tauri	6.18
	113	113 Tauri	6.23
	108	108 Tauri	6.26
	84	84 Tauri	6.28
	24	24 Tauri	6.3
	48	48 Tauri	6.31
	62	62 Tauri	6.34
	141	141 Tauri	6.36
	22	Asterope, Sterope II, 22 Tauri	6.43	440
	70	70 Tauri	6.44
	26	26 Tauri	6.47
	9	9 Tauri	6.72
	101	101 Tauri	6.75
	55	55 Tauri	6.85
		HD 37124	7.68
		T Tauri	9.60
		RV Tauri	9.60
		Crab Pulsar

Source: The Bright Star Catalogue, 5th Revised Ed., The Hipparcos Catalogue, ESA SP-1200

External links

Taurus constellation | Astrological signs