Taurus (constellation)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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

Taurus
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 main stars	{{{numbermainstars}}}
Number of stars (Bayer-Flamsteed)	15
Number of stars with planets (BF, variable, other stars)	{{{numberstarsplanets}}}
Number of bright stars (magnitude < 3)	{{{numberbrightstars}}}
Number of nearby stars (Distance < 100 ly)	{{{numbernearbystars}}}
Brightest star	{{{brighteststarname}}} (App. magnitude 0.9)
Nearest Star	{{{neareststarname}}} (Distance: {{{stardistance}}})
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/, Latin: '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.

1 Etymology
2 Notable features
3 Notable deep sky objects
4 Mythology
- 4.1 Astrology
5 Notable and named stars
6 See also
7 External links

[edit] Etymology

Taurus, like the Greek form tauros derives from a common Indo-European root meaning bull, ox or bison, and is related to English steer. See: Indo-European s-mobile.

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] Astrology

Main article: Taurus (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.

[edit] 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 الحاقة 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