Taurus (constellation)
| Constellation | |
 | |
| Abbreviation | Tau |
|---|---|
| Genitive | Tauri |
| Right ascension | 4 |
| Declination | 15 |
| Area | 797 sq. deg. (17th) |
| Main stars | 7 |
| Bayer/Flamsteed stars | 15 |
| Stars with planets | 2 |
| Stars brighter than 3.00m | 4 |
| Stars within 10.00 pc (32.62 ly) | 2 |
| Brightest star | Aldebaran (α Tau) (0.9m) |
| Messier objects | 2 |
| Meteor showers | Taurids Beta Taurids |
| Bordering constellations | Auriga Perseus Aries Cetus Eridanus Orion Gemini |
| Visible at latitudes between +90° and −65°. Best visible at 21:00 (9 p.m.) during the month of January. | |
Taurus (IPA: /ˈtɔːrəs/, Template:Lang-la, symbol 
, 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.
Etymology
Taurus, like the Greek form tauros derives from a common Indo-European root meaning bull, ox or bison, and is related to English deer. See: Indo-European s-mobile.
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 Tauri, traditionally shared with Auriga and ζ Tauri.
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 ζ Tauri. The explosion, seen on Earth on July 4, 1054, was bright enough to be seen by day. It is mentioned in Chinese history texts.
Mythology
The identification of the constellation of Taurus as a bull may be very old. Michael Rappenglück of the University of Münich believes that Taurus is represented in the Hall of the Bulls in the caves at Lascaux.[1] 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.[2] 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 Heracles.
Astrology
In Western Astrology the sun is in the sign of Taurus from April 21 to May 20 in the tropical zodiac and May 14 to June 19 in the sidereal zodiac.
See also
References
External links
- The Deep Photographic Guide to the Constellations: Taurus
- BBC article on the possibility of Taurus being represented in Lascaux
- WIKISKY.ORG: Taurus constellation
