SkyEye: Taurus

The Bull

Abbreviation:	Tau
Genitive:	Tauri
Origin:	[antiquity]
Fully Visible:	58°S – 88°N

Taurus is a member of the zodiac. This is one of the most ancient of constellations, harking back to Babylonia and perhaps even before. The bull is identified with Zeus, the king of the Greek gods. He assumed the guise of a white bull to abduct Princess Europa. When she found the bull amongst her father's herd, she climbed on his back and Zeus immediately swam to Crete where he revealed his true identity to her. Europa became the first queen of Crete.

The constellation of Taurus

Notable Features

Visible Named Stars
α Tau	Aldebaran	This is a first magnitude star and although it appears in the sky to be a member of the Hyades, it is unrelated to the star cluster. It sometimes appears as Oculus Australis (from the Latin oculus australis meaning 'the southern eye') or Palilicium (from the Latin Palilicium meaning 'the feast of Pales') in older star atlases and catalogues. In Hindu astronomy, it is known as Rohini, from the Sanskrit rohiṇī meaning 'the reddish one'.
β Tau	Elnath	Elnath was once also identified as γ Aur. It appears as Kurn al Thaur al Shimalih (from the Arabic qarn al‑thawr ush‑shamāliy meaning 'the northern horn of the bull') in Mohammad Al Achsasi Al Mouakket's calendarium.
γ Tau	Prima Hyadum	This star appears as Aoul al Debaran (from the Arabic awwal tad‑dabarā meaning 'the first follower') in Mohammad Al Achsasi Al Mouakket's calendarium.
δ¹ Tau	Secunda Hyadum	There are three stars given the designation δ (delta) in this constellation with δ¹ Tau being the brightest.
ε Tau	Ain	This star is known to have at least one exoplanet. It sometimes appears as Oculus Boreus (from the Latin oculus boreus meaning 'the northern eye') in older star atlases and catalogues.
ζ Tau	Tianguan	The primary in this spectroscopic binary system is a Be star, a hot B-star whose spectrum shows emission lines. The emission lines originate in an encircling disk of hot gas and dust which has been ejected from the outer atmosphere of the star.
η Tau	Alcyone	Alcyone is the brightest member of the Pleiades. It appears as Al Thaur al Thureiya (from the Arabic al‑thaur al‑thurayyā meaning 'the bull of al‑Thurayyā') in Mohammad Al Achsasi Al Mouakket's calendarium.
θ² Tau	Chamukuy	This is the brighter of the wide double star θ¹ Tau and θ² Tau.
16 Tau	Celaeno	This is a member of the Pleiades.
17 Tau	Electra	This is a member of the Pleiades.
19 Tau	Taygeta	This is a member of the Pleiades.
20 Tau	Maia	This is a member of the Pleiades. Maia was the eldest of the seven sisters.
21 Tau	Asterope	This is a member of the Pleiades. It sometimes appears as Sterope Ⅰ in older star atlases and catalogues. Sterope Ⅱ is 22 Tau.
23 Tau	Merope	This is a member of the Pleiades. Merope was the youngest of the seven sisters.
27 Tau	Atlas	This is a member of the Pleiades. Atlas was the father of the seven sisters.
28 Tau	Pleione	This is a member of the Pleiades. Pleione was the mother of the seven sisters.
Other Interesting Stars
HD 28678	Hoggar	This eighth-magnitude star is known to have at least one exoplanet. It lies south of the star 88 Tau.
Deep Sky Objects
M1	Crab Nebula	This is the nebulous remnant of a supernove explosion witnessed on Earth in 1054. A small telescope is needed to see it.
M45	Pleiades	Also known as the Seven Sisters, the open cluster of young stars can be seen clearly with the naked eye. Time-exposure photography reveal the stars to be embedded in gas and dust. In Arabic astronomy, the Pleiades are known as a‑Thurayyā, meaning 'the little abundant one'. In Hindu astronomy, the Pleiades are known as Krittika, from the Sanskrit kṛttikā meaning 'the cutters'.
C41	Hyades	This constellation is home to another famous open cluster, the Hyades. Much closer to us than the Pleiades, the Hyades form the V shape of the bull's head. In Arabic astronomy, the Hyades are sometimes known as Al‑Qilās, meaning 'the young camels'.
Meteor Shower Radiants
002 STA	Southern Taurids	This shower is active for two months, beginning in late September and carrying through to late November. An early maximum occurs in mid-October but the true maximum takes place around 5 November. The parent body of this shower is Comet 2P/Encke.
017 NTA	Southern Taurids	This shower gets underway in late October and continues to mid-December, with a peak occurring about a week after that of the Southern Taurids. Minor planet 2004 TG10 is responsible for this shower but this asteroid may be a fragment of Comet 2P/Encke as the two objects seem to share similar orbital characteristics.
173 BTA	β Taurids	This daytime radio shower is active from mid-June through to early July, with peak activity taking place around 25 June.

Open Cluster Close-up

Hyades/Pleiades identification charts