Taurus
Where is the constellation of Taurus located?
What is the brightest star in Taurus?
What notable astronomical features are in Taurus?
What are some traits of people born under the Taurus sign?
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Taurus, in astronomy, zodiacal constellation lying in the northern sky between Aries and Gemini, between about 3 hours 30 minutes and 6 hours right ascension and between 0° and 30° north declination. It can be seen in the evening sky in the winter in the Northern Hemisphere and in the summer in the Southern Hemisphere.
- Brightest star: Aldebaran, red giant, magnitude 0.85, 65 light-years from Earth
- Prominent objects: Hyades, star cluster, 150 light-years from Earth; Pleiades, star cluster, 440 light-years from Earth; Crab Nebula (M1), supernova remnant, 6,500 light-years from Earth
Taurus’s brightest star, Aldebaran (Arabic for “the follower”; also called Alpha Tauri), is the 14th brightest star in the sky, with a magnitude of 0.85. The constellation is easily visible with Aldebaran and the Hyades star cluster forming a bright V shape. The constellation also contains the conspicuous Pleiades, a compact cluster of bright stars, as well as the Crab Nebula (M1), a remnant of the supernova whose explosion was visible during the day in 1054 ce.
Taurus’s association with a bull arose in Babylon in the late second millennium bce when the constellation was identified with the storm god Adad, who was sometimes depicted as riding on a bull. The constellations of ancient Mesopotamia were adopted by the Greeks, and Taurus became identified with the myth of Zeus taking the form of a bull to carry off the princess Europa.
In astrology Taurus is the second sign of the zodiac, considered as governing that portion of the year from about April 20 to about May 20. (The Sun is actually in Taurus from May 14 to June 22.) Of the three earth signs, Taurus has a fixed modality, meaning that it relates to sustaining. Traits associated with those born under the sign of Taurus include being reliable, practical, and stubborn.