Taurus

Origin

Taurus, one of the oldest and most recognizable constellations in the night sky, has its origins has its origin in ancient Sumer. It depicts The Bull of Heaven, a gigantic creature that was slaughtered by Gilgamesh, king of Uruk, to protect his people. Therefore it is depicted half in the sky. The Bull of Heaven was considered a gate-keeper for the Sun when it goes from the southern to the northern hemisphere (first constellation after spring equinox). Its counterpart in autumn is “the bull of the earth”, a metaphor for the scorpion. Therefore, Taurus and Scorpius are opposite each other in the zodiac.

In ancient Greek mythology, Taurus represents the bull from the story of the abduction of Europa, a beautiful Phoenician princess. According to the myth, Zeus, the king of the Greek gods, transformed himself into a magnificent white bull to seduce Europa and carry her away to the island of Crete. To honor this mythological event, the constellation Taurus was established, with its bright star cluster, the Pleiades, often associated with the Seven Sisters, representing the bull's shoulder. Taurus continues to captivate stargazers with its distinctive V-shaped pattern of stars, including the red giant Aldebaran, which marks the bull's fiery eye.

Bright Stars

Aldebaran (Alpha Tauri): Aldebaran is the brightest star in Taurus and is often referred to as the Eye of the Bull. It's an orange giant star and one of the brightest stars in the entire night sky.

Elnath (Beta Tauri): Elnath is a binary star system, and it marks one of the bull's horns.

Alcyone (Eta Tauri): Alcyone is the brightest star in the Pleiades star cluster. It's a hot, blue-white star and one of the Seven Sisters.

Pleiades (Seven Sisters): Although not individual stars, the Pleiades star cluster is a prominent and easily recognizable feature of Taurus. It consists of several hot, young stars and is often seen as a small, dipper-like grouping.

Theta Tauri (Tianguan): Theta Tauri is a double star system known as Tianguan in Chinese astronomy. It's relatively easy to separate with a telescope.