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Tau
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Tauri
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the Bull
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4
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15
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797
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17th
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4
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Aldebaran (&alpha Tau)
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09
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"http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/encyclopedia/entry/Beta_Taurids" class="copylinks">Beta Taurids
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"http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/encyclopedia/entry/Gemini" class="copylinks">Gemini
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90
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65
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January
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(
Latin for ''
Bull '', symbol ,
Unicode ♉) is one of the
Constellation s 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 .
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 .
In the east of the constellation lies one of the best known
Open Cluster s, 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.
The identification of the constellation of Taurus as a bull may be quite old. Dr Michael Rappenglück of the University of Munich
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.[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/871930.stm 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 .
In Western Astrology the sun is in the
Sign of from
April 20 to
May 20 in the
Tropical Zodiac and
May 14 to
June 19 in the
Sidereal Zodiac .
In the
Tropical Zodiac it represents the newly re-established life of springtime. In siderial astrology it is associated with the constellation
Taurus and is associated with the
Greek Myth of the
Bull-form taken by
Zeus in order to win
Europa .
Source:
The Bright Star Catalogue, 5th Revised Ed.,
The Hipparcos Catalogue, ESA SP-1200
