Name a Star in the Taurus Constellation

Represented in an attitude of rage, Taurus appears ready to plunge into Orion the hunter. Orion seems to invite the battle by his antagonistic stance of attack. Only the head and shoulders of Taurus are depicted by the stars. The constellation Taurus contains the Pleiades, a bright grouping of stars representing the seven sisters of Greek mythology, the daughters of Atlas. It also contains Hyades, a cluster of twenty-four stars, visible to the naked eye, marking the head of the bull.

The list of prominent people with stars named in the the Taurus constellation “Ain’t no bull!” The list includes: Amy Adams, Barbra Streisand, Dwayne Johnson, John Anthony Volpe, Shirley MacLaine, and Steven Spielberg. Click here for more information.

The Crab Nebula, or M-1, is located in the northern part of Taurus. It is a remnant of a supernova which exploded in 1054 AD. There are two meteor showers associated with the constellation Taurus. The Taurids meteor shower peaks in November. The Beta Taurids peak in June and July. The nearest constellations to Taurus are Aries, Auriga, Cetus, Eridanus, Gemini, Orion and Perseus.

Symbol: Tau 

Right Ascension: 04:28 

Declination: 17 

Diameter (°): 19 

Area (square °): 797 

Opposition: Dec 01 

Size Rank: 17th 

Brightness Rank: 10th 

Genitive: Tauri 

Major stars in Taurus 

Aldebaran – α Tauri (Alpha Tauri) 

Elnath – β Tauri (Beta Tauri) 

ζ Tauri (Zeta Tauri) 

θ Tauri (Theta Tauri) 

Pectus Tauri – λ Tauri (Lambda Tauri) 

Ain (Oculus Borealis) – ε Tauri (Epsilon Tauri) 

Hyadum I – γ Tauri (Gamma Tauri) 

Ushakaron – ξ Tauri (Xi Tauri) 

δ Tauri (Delta Tauri) 

Kappa Tauri 

υ Tauri (Upsilon Tauri) 

119 Tauri 

ρ Tauri (Rho Tauri) 

111 Tauri 

ο Tauri (Omicron Tauri) 

T Tauri 

RV Tauri 

HD 37124 

Alcyone – η Tauri (Eta Tauri) 

Atlas – 27 Tauri 

Electra – 17 Tauri 

Maia – 20 Tauri 

Merope – 23 Tauri 

Taygeta – 19 Tauri 

Pleione – 28 Tauri (BU Tauri) 

Celaeno – 16 Tauri 

Asterope – 21 and 22 Tauri 

Deep Sky Objects in Taurus 

Crab Nebula – Messier 1 (M1, NGC 1952) 

The Pleiades (Seven Sisters) – Messier 45 

The Hyades Cluster (Caldwell 41, Melotte 25, Collinder 50) 

Hind’s Variable Nebula – NGC 1555 

NGC 1410 and NGC 1409 

Crystal Ball Nebula – NGC 1514 

NGC 1746 

Merope Nebula (Tempel’s Nebula) – NGC 1435 

NGC 1647 

NGC 1817 

NGC 1807  

Mythology of the Constellation Taurus  

According to Greek mythology, this is the animal which carried Europa over the seas to the area which now bears her name. The Daughter of Agenor and princess of Phoenicia, Europa was so beautiful that Jupiter became enamored of her.Jupiter assumed the shape of the snow-white bull and mingled with the herds of Agenor while Europa and her female attendants were gathering flowers in the meadows. Europa caressed the beautiful animal and at last had the courage to sit on his back. Taking advantage of the situation, Jupiter safely crossed the sea with her to Crete. Some suppose Europa lived about 1550 years before the Christian era. It is also likely that this constellation had a place in the zodiac before the Greeks began to cultivate a knowledge of the stars.  

Originally, Taurus is thought to be an invention of the Egyptians or Chaldeans. Both the Egyptians and Persians worshipped a deity named Apis under this figure. The archeologist Belzoni is said to have found an embalmed bull in the tomb of Seti near Thebes. Taurus also was known in China as TaLeang, the great bridge, between Hyades and Pleiades. Jesuit missionaries anglicized this to Kim Neu, the golden ox, to fit in with the western Taurus. In the Hebrew zodiac, Taurus is ascribed to Joseph, according to some lists, but to Issachar according to the Encyclopedia Judaica.  

Taurus Zodiac  

Sun Enters: April 20 

Sun Leaves: May 20 

Planet: Venus 

Trait: Possessive, permanent 

Positives: Practical, reliable, adept in response to rules, business, moral values. Taureans love luxury, good food, are persistent, solid, determined, affectionate, strong-willed, trustworthy. 

Negatives: Possessive, tedious, opinionated, greedy, stubborn, obsessed with routine, resentful. 

As a Child: Stubborn 

Plant: An oak tree 

Emotional: Possessive 

Career: Banker, Motivational Speaker