Taurus (constellation)

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Taurus
Image:Taurus constellation map.png click for larger image
Abbreviation	Tau
Genitive	Tauri
Symbology	the Bull
Right ascension	4 h
Declination	15°
Area	797 sq. deg. Ranked 17th
Number of stars (magnitude < 3)	4
Brightest star	Aldebaran (α Tau) (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 (Image:Taurus symbol.png, Latin for bull) 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 southwest Orion, and to the southeast Eridanus and Cetus.

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

In Greek mythology, this corresponds with the bull-form Zeus took in order to win Europa, a mythical Phoenician princess, and thus father the Minotaur. 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

The Western astrological sign Taurus of the tropical zodiac (April 20 - May 20) differs from the astronomical constellation and the Hindu astrological sign of the sidereal zodiac (May 14 - June 19).

In some cosmologies, Taurus is associated with the classical element Earth, and thus called an Earth Sign (with Virgo and Capricorn). It is one of the four Fixed signs (along with Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius). Its polar opposite is Scorpio. It is the domicile of Venus and the exaltation of the Moon. Each astrological sign is assigned a part of the body, viewed as the seat of its power. Taurus rules the neck and shoulders. The Taurean symbol is the bull.

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 ^{c^ain} 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
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

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Categories: Taurus constellation | Astrological signs

Taurus (constellation)

From Freepedia

Contents

Notable features

Notable deep sky objects

Mythology

Astrology

Notable and named stars

See Also

External links

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