Taurus (constellation)

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Taurus
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Abbreviation	Tau
Genitive	Tauri
Symbology	the Bull
Right ascension	4 h
Declination	15°
Area	List of constellations by area>Ranked 17th
Number of stars (magnitude < 3)	4
Brightest star	Aldebaran (α Tau) (Apparent magnitude>App. magnitude 0.9)
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 (Greek for Bull, 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. Contents 1 Notable features 2 Notable deep sky objects 3 Mythology 3.1 Astrology 4 Notable and named stars 5 See also 6 External links 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 [link] 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.[link] 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 BD F Names and other designations Mag. Ly away Comments α 87 Aldebaran, Alpha Tauri, Cor Tauri, Parilicium 0.87 65.1 الدبران ad-dabarān The follower [of the Pleiades] cor tauri The heart of the bull β 112 Beta Tauri, El Nath, Alnath, Nath 1.65 131 النطح an-naţħ The butting (horn) η 25 Alcyone, Eta Tauri 2.85 440 Αλκυώνη member of the Pleiades open cluster double star; component magnitudes 2.85, 8.3 ζ 123 Zeta Tauri, Tien Kwan, Alheka 2.97 417 天關 tiānguān The heavenly mountain pass ? al-haq'ah The white spot? Gamma Cassiopeiae type variable star θ² 78 Theta-2 Tauri 3.40 153 member of the Hyades open cluster Delta Scuti type variable star λ 35 Lambda Tauri 3.41 370 Eclipsing binary ε 74 Epsilon Tauri, Ain, Oculus Borealus 3.53 155 عين cain eye oculus boreālus The northern eye member of the Hyades open cluster ο 1 Omicron Tauri 3.61 212 27 Atlas, 27 Tauri 3.62 440 Άτλας member of the Pleiades open cluster triple star system; component magnitudes: 4.1, 5.6, 6.8 γ 54 Gamma Tauri, Hyadum I, Prima Hyadum, Primus Hyadum 3.63 154 member of the Hyades open cluster 17 Electra, 17 Tauri 3.72 440 Ηλέκτρα member of the Pleiades open cluster ξ 2 Xi Tauri 3.73 222 Eclipsing binary δ¹ 61 Delta-1 Tauri, Hyadum II, Secunda Hyadum, Secundus Hyadum 3.77 153 member of the Hyades open cluster θ¹ 77 Theta-1 Tauri 3.84 153 member of the Hyades open cluster 20 Maia, 20 Tauri 3.87 440 Μαία member of the Pleiades open cluster ν 38 Nu Tauri 3.91 129 23 Merope, 23 Tauri 4.14 440 Μερόπη member of the Pleiades open cluster Beta Cephei type variable star f 5 5 Tauri 4.14 κ¹ 65 Kappa-1 Tauri 4.21 148 member of the Hyades open cluster six star system 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 member of the Hyades open cluster υ 69 Upsilon Tauri 4.28 155 member of the Hyades open cluster Delta Scuti type variable star 10 10 Tauri 4.29 δ³ 68 Delta-3 Tauri, 68 Tauri 4.30 148 member of the Hyades open cluster Alpha2 Canum Venaticorum type variable star q 19 Taygeta, Taÿgete, 19 Tauri 4.30 440 Ταΰγετη member of the Pleiades open cluster 119 119 Tauri, CE Tauri 4.32 1920 semiregular variable diameter 510 times that of the Sun A¹ 37 37 Tauri 4.36 71 71 Tauri 4.48 136 136 Tauri 4.56 ι 102 Iota Tauri 4.62 163 member of the Hyades open cluster ρ 86 Rho Tauri 4.65 152 member of the Hyades open cluster Delta Scuti type variable star σ² 92 Sigma-2 Tauri 4.67 155 member of the Hyades open cluster π 73 Pi Tauri 4.69 455 δ² 64 Delta-2 Tauri, 64 Tauri 4.80 146 member of the Hyades open cluster 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 member of the Hyades open cluster 28 Pleione, 28 Tauri, BU Tauri 5.05 440 Πληϊόνη member of the Pleiades open cluster Gamma Cassiopeiae type variable star σ¹ 91 Sigma-1 Tauri 5.08 155 member of the Hyades open cluster 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 member of the Hyades open cluster 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 Κελαινό member of the Pleiades open cluster 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 member of the Hyades open cluster 80 80 Tauri 5.58 137 137 Tauri 5.60 32 32 Tauri 5.62 21 Asterope, Sterope I, 21 Tauri 5.64 440 Αστεροπή member of the Pleiades open cluster 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 Αστεροπή member of the Pleiades open cluster 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 has 2 planets T Tauri 9.60 variable star, prototype of the T Tauri variables RV Tauri 9.60 variable star, prototype of the RV Tauri variables Crab Pulsar pulsar in the Crab Nebula Source: The Bright Star Catalogue, 5th Revised Ed., The Hipparcos Catalogue, ESA SP-1200 See also Astronomy | Constellations of the Zodiac | Astrology Aries ( ) | Taurus () | Gemini ( ) | Cancer ( ) | Leo ( ) | Virgo ( ) | Libra ( ) | Scorpius/Scorpio ( ) | Ophiuchus | Sagittarius ( ) | Capricornus/Capricorn ( ) | Aquarius ( ) | Pisces ( ) External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to: [Special] [The Deep Photographic Guide to the Constellations: Taurus] [BBC article on the possibility of Taurus being represented in Lascaux]   From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. 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