Taurus, the Bull, is a zodiac constellation of the northern winter sky, with the orange giant Aldebaran for its eye and the Hyades and Pleiades clusters in its head.
At a glance
| stars in the figure | 12 |
|---|---|
| nearest star of the figure | 10 Tauri, 45.5 light-years (14 pc) |
| farthest star of the figure | Lambda Tauri, 484 light-years (148 pc) |
| depth | the farthest is 11 × farther than the nearest |
| zodiac | ♉ the ecliptic runs through it |
Read off the piece’s own catalogue, the same values it draws with.
About Taurus
Taurus is one of the oldest constellations, a charging bull whose face is the V-shaped Hyades, the nearest open cluster to the Sun. Aldebaran, an orange giant, marks the eye and seems to belong to the cluster, but it lies much closer, in front of it. On the bull’s shoulder sit the Pleiades, the Seven Sisters, a young blue cluster known to cultures all over the world.
The tips of the horns are Elnath, shared with Auriga, and Tianguan, near which lies the Crab Nebula, the remains of a star seen to explode in the age before telescopes. Dark clouds in Taurus are a nearby nursery where Sun-like stars are forming now. The Sun passes through Taurus on the ecliptic; the figure is best seen on northern winter evenings.
What you see in the piece
Flown out to, Aldebaran comes forward out of the Hyades, which hang behind it as a real cluster, and the bull’s stars spread from nearby 10 Tauri to distant Lambda Tauri.
Questions
Is Aldebaran part of the Hyades?
No. Aldebaran lies in front of the Hyades, much closer to us; it only lines up with the cluster from Earth.
How far away are the stars of Taurus?
In the piece’s figure they range from 10 Tauri, 45.5 light-years (14 pc), to Lambda Tauri, 484 light-years (148 pc): the farthest is 11 × farther than the nearest.