Taurus (constellation)

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

Constellation|name = Taurus |abbreviation = Tau |genitive = Tauri |symbology = the Bull |RA = 4 |dec= 15 |areatotal = 797 |arearank = 17th |numberstars = 4 |starname = Aldebaran (α Tau) |starmagnitude = 0.9 |meteorshowers =
*Taurids
*Beta Taurids |bordering =
*Auriga
*Perseus
*Aries
*Cetus
*Eridanus
*Orion
*Gemini |latmax = 90 |latmin = 65 |month = January |notes=}}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.

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 [1] 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.[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 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

External links

* The Deep Photographic Guide to the Constellations: Taurus
* BBC article on the possibility of Taurus being represented in Lascaux

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