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Taurus (constellation)
 
 
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Taurus is one of the constellation
Constellation

A constellation is a group of stars that appear to have a physical proximity in the sky. The stars in a constellation are often vastly distant from each other, but they appear close to each other from the perspective of Earth....
s of the zodiac
Zodiac

Zodiac denotes an annual cycle of twelve stations along the ecliptic, the apparent path of the Sun across the heavens through the constellations that divide the ecliptic into twelve equal zones of celestial longitude....
. Its name is Latin
Latin

Latin is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Military history of the Roman Empire, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe....
 for bull
Cattle

Cattle, colloquially referred to as cows, are domestication ungulates, a member of the subfamily Bovinae of the family Bovidae. They are raised as livestock for meat , dairy products , leather and as draft animals ....
, and its symbol is , a stylized bull's head. Taurus is a large and prominent constellation in the northern hemisphere
Northern Hemisphere

The Northern Hemisphere is the half of a planet that is north of the equator?the word sphere literally means 'half sphere'. It is also that half of the celestial sphere north of the celestial equator....
's winter sky, between Aries
Aries (constellation)

Aries is one of constellations of the zodiac, located between Pisces to the west and Taurus to the east. Its name is Latin for sheep, and its symbol is , representing a ram's horns....
 to the west and Gemini
Gemini (constellation)

Gemini is one of the constellations of the zodiac. Its name is Latin for "twins", and it is associated with the twins Castor and Pollux in Greek mythology....
 to the east; to the north lie Perseus
Perseus (constellation)

Perseus is a constellation in the northern sky, named after the Greek hero Perseus. It was one of the 48 constellations listed by the 1st century astronomer Ptolemy, and remains one of the 88 modern constellations defined by the International Astronomical Union....
 and Auriga
Auriga (constellation)

Auriga...
, to the southeast Orion
Orion (constellation)

Orion , often referred to as "The Hunter," is a prominent constellation ? one of the largest, most conspicuous, and most recognizable in the night sky....
, to the south Eridanus
Eridanus (constellation)

Eridanus is a constellation. It is represented as a river; its name is the Greek language name for the Po River. It was one of the 48 constellations listed by the 1st century astronomer Ptolemy, and it remains one of the 88 modern constellations....
, and to the southwest Cetus
Cetus

Cetus is a constellation in the northern sky. Its name refers to Cetus , a sea monster in Greek mythology, although it is often called 'the whale' today....
.

Notable features
Behind Aldebaran
Aldebaran

Aldebaran is the brightest star in the constellation Taurus and list of brightest stars in the nighttime sky. Because of its location in the head of Taurus, it has historically been called the Bull's Eye....
 lie the Hyades
Hyades (star cluster)

The Hyades is the nearest open cluster to the Solar System and one of the best-studied of all star clusters. At a distance of 151 light years, it consists of a roughly spherical group of 300 to 400 stars that share the same age, place of origin, chemical content, and motion through space....
, the nearest distinct open star cluster
Star cluster

Star clusters or star clouds are groups of stars which are gravity bound. Two types of star clusters can be distinguished: globular clusters are tight groups of hundreds of thousands of very old stars, while open clusters generally contain less than a few hundred members, and are often very young....
, that with it form a V, or an A, in the sky marking the bull's head.

In the west of the constellation lie the Pleiades
Pleiades (star cluster)

File:Pleiades Lanoue.pngIn astronomy, the Pleiades are an open star cluster in the constellation of Taurus . It is among the nearest star clusters to Earth, and Randall Munroe's favorite astronomical object....
, one of the best known open clusters, easily visible to the eye.

Another object, visible in a telescope
Telescope

A telescope is an instrument designed for the observation of remote objects by the collection of electromagnetic radiation. The first known practically functioning telescopes were invented in the Netherlands at the beginning of the 17th century....
, is the Crab Nebula
Crab Nebula

The Crab Nebula  is a supernova remnant and pulsar wind nebula in the constellation of Taurus . The nebula was first observed by John Bevis, and corresponds to a bright supernova recorded by Chinese astronomy and Islamic astronomy astronomers SN 1054....
 (M1
Messier object

The Messier objects are a set of astronomical objects first listed by France astronomy Charles Messier in his "Catalogue des N?buleuses et des Amas d'?toiles" included in the Connaissance des Temps for 1774 ....
), a supernova
Supernova

A supernova is a Astronomy#Stellar astronomy explosion. Supernovae are extremely luminous and cause a burst of radiation that often briefly outshines an entire galaxy, before fading from view over several weeks or months....
 remnant northwest of ? Tauri.






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Taurus is one of the constellation
Constellation

A constellation is a group of stars that appear to have a physical proximity in the sky. The stars in a constellation are often vastly distant from each other, but they appear close to each other from the perspective of Earth....
s of the zodiac
Zodiac

Zodiac denotes an annual cycle of twelve stations along the ecliptic, the apparent path of the Sun across the heavens through the constellations that divide the ecliptic into twelve equal zones of celestial longitude....
. Its name is Latin
Latin

Latin is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Military history of the Roman Empire, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe....
 for bull
Cattle

Cattle, colloquially referred to as cows, are domestication ungulates, a member of the subfamily Bovinae of the family Bovidae. They are raised as livestock for meat , dairy products , leather and as draft animals ....
, and its symbol is
Taurus
, a stylized bull's head. Taurus is a large and prominent constellation in the northern hemisphere
Northern Hemisphere

The Northern Hemisphere is the half of a planet that is north of the equator?the word sphere literally means 'half sphere'. It is also that half of the celestial sphere north of the celestial equator....
's winter sky, between Aries
Aries (constellation)

Aries is one of constellations of the zodiac, located between Pisces to the west and Taurus to the east. Its name is Latin for sheep, and its symbol is , representing a ram's horns....
 to the west and Gemini
Gemini (constellation)

Gemini is one of the constellations of the zodiac. Its name is Latin for "twins", and it is associated with the twins Castor and Pollux in Greek mythology....
 to the east; to the north lie Perseus
Perseus (constellation)

Perseus is a constellation in the northern sky, named after the Greek hero Perseus. It was one of the 48 constellations listed by the 1st century astronomer Ptolemy, and remains one of the 88 modern constellations defined by the International Astronomical Union....
 and Auriga
Auriga (constellation)

Auriga...
, to the southeast Orion
Orion (constellation)

Orion , often referred to as "The Hunter," is a prominent constellation ? one of the largest, most conspicuous, and most recognizable in the night sky....
, to the south Eridanus
Eridanus (constellation)

Eridanus is a constellation. It is represented as a river; its name is the Greek language name for the Po River. It was one of the 48 constellations listed by the 1st century astronomer Ptolemy, and it remains one of the 88 modern constellations....
, and to the southwest Cetus
Cetus

Cetus is a constellation in the northern sky. Its name refers to Cetus , a sea monster in Greek mythology, although it is often called 'the whale' today....
.

Notable features


Behind Aldebaran
Aldebaran

Aldebaran is the brightest star in the constellation Taurus and list of brightest stars in the nighttime sky. Because of its location in the head of Taurus, it has historically been called the Bull's Eye....
 lie the Hyades
Hyades (star cluster)

The Hyades is the nearest open cluster to the Solar System and one of the best-studied of all star clusters. At a distance of 151 light years, it consists of a roughly spherical group of 300 to 400 stars that share the same age, place of origin, chemical content, and motion through space....
, the nearest distinct open star cluster
Star cluster

Star clusters or star clouds are groups of stars which are gravity bound. Two types of star clusters can be distinguished: globular clusters are tight groups of hundreds of thousands of very old stars, while open clusters generally contain less than a few hundred members, and are often very young....
, that with it form a V, or an A, in the sky marking the bull's head.

In the west of the constellation lie the Pleiades
Pleiades (star cluster)

File:Pleiades Lanoue.pngIn astronomy, the Pleiades are an open star cluster in the constellation of Taurus . It is among the nearest star clusters to Earth, and Randall Munroe's favorite astronomical object....
, one of the best known open clusters, easily visible to the eye.

Another object, visible in a telescope
Telescope

A telescope is an instrument designed for the observation of remote objects by the collection of electromagnetic radiation. The first known practically functioning telescopes were invented in the Netherlands at the beginning of the 17th century....
, is the Crab Nebula
Crab Nebula

The Crab Nebula  is a supernova remnant and pulsar wind nebula in the constellation of Taurus . The nebula was first observed by John Bevis, and corresponds to a bright supernova recorded by Chinese astronomy and Islamic astronomy astronomers SN 1054....
 (M1
Messier object

The Messier objects are a set of astronomical objects first listed by France astronomy Charles Messier in his "Catalogue des N?buleuses et des Amas d'?toiles" included in the Connaissance des Temps for 1774 ....
), a supernova
Supernova

A supernova is a Astronomy#Stellar astronomy explosion. Supernovae are extremely luminous and cause a burst of radiation that often briefly outshines an entire galaxy, before fading from view over several weeks or months....
 remnant northwest of ? 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.

History and mythology

The identification of the constellation
Constellation

A constellation is a group of stars that appear to have a physical proximity in the sky. The stars in a constellation are often vastly distant from each other, but they appear close to each other from the perspective of Earth....
 of Taurus with a bull is very old, and may even be prehistoric. Michael Rappenglück of the University of Munich believes that Taurus is represented in a cave painting
Cave painting

Cave paintings are paintings on cave walls and ceilings, and the term is used especially for those dating to prehistoric times. The earliest known European cave paintings date to 32,000 years ago....
 at the Hall of the Bulls in the caves at Lascaux
Lascaux

Lascaux is the setting of a complex of caves in southwestern France famous for its prehistory cave paintings. The original caves are located near the village of Montignac, Dordogne, in the Dordogne d?partement in France....
, which he believes is accompanied by a depiction of the Pleiades, though his ideas have not been widely accepted. The paintings date to approximately 15,000–13,000 BCE..

In ancient Babylon
Babylon

Babylon was a city-state of ancient Mesopotamia, sometimes considered an empire, the remains of which can be found in present-day Al Hillah, Babil Governorate, Iraq, about 85 kilometers south of Baghdad....
, Taurus was called Shur. In Greek mythology
Greek mythology

Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the Ancient Greece concerning their List of Greek mythological figures#Immortals and Greek hero cult, Cosmology#Metaphysical cosmology, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices....
, Taurus was identified with Zeus
Zeus

Zeus in Greek mythology is the king of the gods, the ruler of Mount Olympus and the god of the sky father and List of thunder gods. His symbols are the thunderbolt, eagle, bull , and oak....
, who assumed the form of a magnificent white bull to abduct Europa, a legendary Phoenician princess. The tale informs the names of constellations since it is necessary to traverse the area of sky known as the Sea
Sea (astronomy)

The Sea or the Water is an area of the sky in which many water-related, and few land-related, constellations occur.Most of these constellations are named by Ptolemy:...
 to reach it. When passing through the Zodiac
Zodiac

Zodiac denotes an annual cycle of twelve stations along the ecliptic, the apparent path of the Sun across the heavens through the constellations that divide the ecliptic into twelve equal zones of celestial longitude....
, it forms the origin of the myth of the Cretan Bull
Cretan Bull

In Greek mythology, the Cretan Bull was either the bull that carried away Europa or the bull Pasipha? fell in love with, giving birth to the Minotaur....
, one of The Twelve Labors of Heracles
Heracles

In Greek mythology, Heracles or Herakles meaning "glory of Hera", or "Glorious through Hera" Alcides or Alcaeus " was a hero, the son of Zeus and Alcmene, foster son of Amphitryon and great-grandson of Perseus....
.

Astrology

, the Sun appears in the constellation Taurus from May 14 to June 19. In tropical astrology
Tropical Astrology

Tropical astrology is a type of astrology based on a zodiac whose points of reference are the tropics. The word tropic comes from the Greek for "turning point," and originally meant the point at which the sun at sunrise and sunset appears to turn, and to move north in the northern hemisphere and south in the southern hemisphere along the...
, the Sun is considered to be in the sign Taurus
Taurus (astrology)

Taurus is the second astrological sign in the Zodiac, originating from the Taurus . In western astrology, this sign is no longer aligned with the constellation as a result of the Precession ....
 from April 21 to May 21, and in sidereal astrology
Sidereal astrology

Sidereal astrology is the system of astrology used by some Western and all Jyotish astrology who base their interpretation around the use of the Sidereal time zodiac....
, from May 16 to June 15.

Citations


External links