Hobbies And Interests
Taurus Astronomical Information
The constellation Taurus has 15 named stars. Classical names include Merope, Electra and Atlas which all have their own mythology. Modern names for the stars in Taurus include Alpha Tau through Eta Tau and 16 Tau through 28 Tau. M1 or the Crab Nebula is found in Taurus. The Crab Nebula is a famous supernova remnant. Taurus is visible between latitudes 90 and 65 degrees and is best seen in January.
Mythology of Taurus
The story of Taurus begins when Zeus sees the beautiful daughter of the king of Phoenicia. Zeus disguised himself as a majestic white bull and trod along a waterway were Europa, the princess, was swimming. The princess was enamored by the beauty and gentleness of the bull so she climbed on his back to ride him. Once Europa was on his back, Zeus swam out to sea to Crete were he revealed himself and made Europa his mistress. Alternatively, the Egyptians saw the constellation as their god Osiris, who reigned in the afterlife. The Chinese believed it to be a great white tiger.
Stars of Taurus
Taurus has an abundance of interesting stars to study. Alpha Tauri, seen as the eye of the bull, is a red giant about 40 times the size of our Sun. Eventually it will burn out its supply of hydrogen and dim into a white dwarf. Taurus contains two clusters -- the Hyades and the more famous Pleiades or Seven Sisters. Many binary star systems are also visible in Taurus. A binary star is a system of two stars in which one star revolves around the other or both revolve around a common center.
Connection Between Lascaux and Taurus
In the "Salle des Taureaux," or Hall of the Bulls, a section of the caves of Lascaux, there is a highly detailed image of a bull with long horns, known as Auroch or Bull. Above this bull are six defined dots. Some believe this is a representation of Pleiades or the Seven Sisters that are visible close to Taurus. The seventh star of Pleiades would be unseen by the naked eye.