The constellation Taurus, located northwest of the Orion belt, is part of the zodiac. Now this cluster of stars has been well studied, and astronomers over many years of observation have managed to collect many interesting facts about Taurus.

The myth of the constellation Taurus

The constellation Taurus was noticed by people in antiquity. It is not known exactly when astronomers isolated the stars in it in a separate cluster. One of the first to be described by the Greek scientist Eudoxus in the III century BC, and later Ptolemy included in his collection “Almagest”.

Since in ancient Greece there were many legends about the gods, the constellations were named after them, and often associated with mythical creatures. Taurus was no exception. There are three myths about the star cluster.

At that time, people believed that Zeus is this constellation. In order to kidnap Europe and imprison him on the island of Crete, he turned into a white Taurus and took it away. There is also a legend that the constellation represents the bull that Hercules fought on the same island, and the battle is considered the seventh feat. The third myth says that the fire-breathing bull, which Jason found in Colchis and tamed, became the constellation.

In Taurus, it is easy to discern two star clusters called the Pleiades and Hyades. The first is located at a distance of 410 light years from Earth and consists of 500 stars. The second includes 132 stars located 150 light years away.

The Pleiades got their name in honor of the seven daughters of Atlanta and Pleion. The myth claims that the girls were chased by Orion, and Zeus placed them in heaven to hide. Hyades are the daughters of Atlanta and Efra. When their brother Gias went on another hunt, he never returned home. Because of this, the sisters were crushed by grief. Zeus took pity on them and placed them in the sky next to the Pleiades, turning them into asterism.

Interesting fact: Hyades from ancient Greek literally translate as “it is raining”. And when the rainy season begins in the country, these stars are close to the horizon, which is a signal with the soon worsening weather.

There are myths about Taurus and in Slavic culture. Residents of the respective countries mistook the constellation for the god of cattle - Veles. It is not surprising, because the Greek designation Taurus is similar to the word “tour”, meaning bull.

Brief description and map of the constellation Taurus

Like any constellation, Taurus has certain characteristics that were discovered by astronomers in ancient times. The advent of modern equipment in the future made it possible to indicate more accurate parameters:

• in Latin, the constellation is called Taurus, the contraction of Tau is also found;
• the symbol of the star cluster is the bull;
• right ascension is observed from 3 h 17 min to 5 h 53 min;
• the declination angle varies from -1 deg 45 min to +30 deg 40 min;
• Taurus occupies an area of ​​797 square meters in the sky. hail, which is the 17th indicator among all the constellations;
• The following brightest stars are distinguished in the cluster: Aldebaran (0.87m), Nat (1.65m), Alcyone (2.85m), Tau (2.97m);
• there are meteor showers in the constellation called Turids and Beta Taurids;
• next to Taurus are the constellations: Gemini, Orion, Eridanus, Aries, Whale, Charioteer and Perseus;
• The best time to observe the cluster is November and December, during this period it is visible in latitudes from -59 degrees to +89 degrees.

Thanks to these parameters, even an amateur astronomer can quickly find Taurus in the starry sky without any problems. It occupies the first quadrant located in the northern hemisphere at latitudes from -65 degrees to +90 degrees. The structure of Taurus includes two Messier objects with the designations M1 and M45 and five stars with planets adjacent to them.

The main stars of the constellation Taurus

The constellation Taurus consists of a large number of stars, but among them astronomers distinguish a group of major ones.They are bright enough, because of which they are easy to notice from the Earth, but are located at different distances from the solar system.

Aldebaran

The brightest star of the constellation, located in the impromptu head of Taurus. It belongs to the category of normal giants and has a red-orange glow. Since it is only 65 light-years from Earth, it is easy to spot it in the sky with the naked eye. Now Aldebaran is gradually increasing in size due to the burning of helium. At the moment, the diameter of the star is 38 times larger than the sun.

Interesting fact: Aldebaran is often called the “eye of Taurus” because the star is directly under the “horns” of the constellation.

Nat

The second brightest star, 5 times the size of the sun. It is located on the border with the constellation Charioteer, which is why in ancient times, astronomers took turns assigning Nat to both clusters.

The brightness of Nath is enhanced by a small luminary located nearby, which is why they are called a “double star”. Observations helped to establish that now Nat is gradually turning into a gas giant, but not yet will receive this status.

Alcyone

This name immediately means several stars that are close to each other. For simplicity, astronomers call them A, B, C, and D. They all belong to different classes and have unique brightness. Among them are both blue-white giants and yellow dwarfs. When observing the sky with a telescope that does not have a large magnification, Alcyone will look like a single star.

It is a nascent star located in the middle of a large nebula of hydrogen. The core of the luminary attracts the contents of the cloud, due to which it is gradually formed from the disk into a full-fledged sphere.

Interesting fact: the mass of the nebula is 1000 times greater than the solar, which is why in the final of its formation T Taurus will be a large and bright object.

Electra

A large giant rotating at a speed of 181 km / h, which is why it releases a gas cloud into space and gradually loses weight. Also, due to heavy movement, the star is stretched at the equator and flattened at the poles.

Merope

A subgiant whose core runs out of hydrogen fuel. However, the reserves of this substance in the shell are still sufficient to shine 630 times brighter than the Sun. Merope is in the nebula, but even through it light penetrates without problems and reaches the Earth in 360 years, which is not so much by the standards of space.

Other major Taurus stars

In addition to the main constellations, there are several more large stars:

1. Taygeta. It is a system consisting of three stars. They are at a close distance of 440 light years from the solar system. The luminaries have their own companions, which mutually attract each other.
2. Purposefully. It is located at a distance of 430 light years from Earth and has a visual magnitude of 5,488, which is why it is not so easy to see it in the sky. In the past, it was called the “Lost Pleiades", since the astronomers of that time were quite difficult to see it in the starry sky. Moreover, for this it was necessary to catch the desired arrangement of stars in space and look at them only at a certain period of the year.
3. Mayan. Another giant, part of the eponymous nebula. Located at a distance of 360 light years. The star consists mainly of mercury and manganese, which is why it has a gray-violet glow, which is 660 times brighter than sunlight.
4. Ro. The star is somewhat reminiscent of the Sun. In terms of dimensions, it exceeds the latter by 88%, and its rotation period is 488 days. The brightness of Po changes by 1% every hour and a half, increasing and decreasing in turn.
   The luminary is 152 light years distant from Earth, so it can be seen with the help of semi-professional equipment. Astronomers attribute it to the Delta Shield class.
5. Atlas. It is a triple star, in the center of which is a white giant with a bluish glow.Other luminaries are located in close proximity. Astronomers were also able to select small satellites in their orbits. The Atlas is located 381 light years from Earth.

In the constellation Taurus, there are several hundred stars with certain characteristics.

Celestial objects in the constellation Taurus

The constellation Taurus consists of many celestial objects, among which there are many main:

1. Crab Nebula. It appeared after the supernova explosion and is regularly fed by the neutron star Pulsar, which exerts pressure on it with its winds. The size of the nebula is 11 light years.
2. Pleiades. The brightest cluster of stars, which is perfectly noticeable even in amateur equipment. It was formed about 100 million years ago.
3. Hyades. A large cluster of hundreds of stars. It appeared 625 million years ago and is located at a distance of 153 light years from the Sun.
4. Hinda Variable Nebula. Opened in 1852 by John Hynd, the main feature is variable brightness. Due to the pulsation of the stars, the appearance of the nebula changes regularly.
5. MGC 1409 and NGC 1410. Two galaxies that gradually move towards each other due to gravitational influence. Now the distance between them is 20 thousand light years.
6. Planetary Nebula NGC 1514. Located 800 light-years from the sun
7. Crystal Ball Nebula. Opened in the 1790th year, in its center is a double star.
8. NGC 1746. Asterism, having a visual magnitude of 6.1. Discovered by Heinrich Louis D’Arre in 1863.
9. Merop Nebula. It is the remnant of an exploding supernova, located in the Pleiades cluster.
10. NGC 1647, 1807, 1817. Star clusters located in different parts of the constellation. They are bright groups of stars.

Interesting fact: There are websites and programs on the Internet that allow you to view every object in the immediate vicinity using 3D space modeling.

How to find Taurus in the sky?

Taurus is easy to find in the sky, if you know the location of the constellations. On the east side, it borders with the Gemini, in the west with Whale and Aries. In the south of it is located Orion, and in the north of Perseus.

It is better to follow Taurus in November and December, when the constellation is best seen in Russia and is located high in the sky. It is easy to find with the naked eye thanks to the Pleiades cluster and the brightest star Aldebaran. The latter has a red-orange glow, so it is easy to distinguish it from the rest of the stars.

Interesting fact: The sun enters the borders of Taurus on May 11, after which it gradually moves from one edge to another.

For greater convenience, you can use binoculars. Even with a 20x magnification, many of Taurus’s main objects will be clearly visible in the sky.

Constellation Taurus in Astrology

Taurus is the second constellation in the zodiac circle, second only to Aries. He is assigned an area in the sky in the range from 30 to 60 degrees. This zodiac sign comes in the period from April 21 to May 20.

People born in this period have great tenacity, hard work and the desire to provide for themselves and their loved ones. They are also considered quite loyal and able to live happily with one person all their lives.

Mentioning the constellation Taurus in literature

Many authors of science fiction, where the main characters go on a journey through endless space, often mention this constellation in their works. But the most striking example of the inclusion of Taurus in the literature are the books of Stanislav Lem from the series “Star Diaries of Iyon the Quiet”.

The events of the fourteenth journey take place on Enteropia, which, according to the book, is located next to the double star that is part of the constellation. And in the continuation of the novel, the protagonist flies to the planet Ency, which is located in close proximity to Enteropia.

In ancient times, Taurus even more often became the object of attention of writers.Many Greek authors composed myths and tales in which the constellation played a significant role and often personified specific characters.