Taurus - The Bull

Learn about the constellation Taurus - The Bull, location, facts, mythology, meteor showers and deep space objects.

Taurus 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 southwest Orion, and the southeast Eridanus and Cetus.

Location: Northern Winter 4h RA 15° Dec

In the east of the constellation lies one of the best-known open clusters, easily visible by eye, the Pleiades.

Behind Aldebaran lie the Hyades, the nearest distinct open star cluster, that with it forms 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.

Taurus Mythology

In Greek mythology, this corresponds with the bull form Zeus took to win Europa, a mythical Phoenician princess, and thus father of Minos. As such, since it is necessary to traverse the area of the 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 Hercules.

Taurus Deep Space Objects

Taurus contains two Messier objects - Messier 1 (M1, NGC 1952, Crab Nebula) and Messier 45 (the Pleiades).

There are two meteor showers associated with the constellation; the Taurids and the Beta Taurids. The Taurids peak in November, while the Beta Taurids can be seen in June and July.

In this table, the observation month represents the month in which the object reaches its highest point in the sky. It can also be viewed a few months before and after depending on your location. Direction is the compass direction in which the object is located, with Z meaning Zenith or overhead.

#		Common Name	Constellation	Month	Coords	Direction	Mag	Size (arcmin)	Type	Star Chart
C41		Hyades	Taurus	Nov	04h 27m RA +16° 00m Dec	Z	0.50	330	Open Cluster	🔍︎
M1 NGC 1952		The Crab Nebula	Taurus	Feb	05h 34.5m RA 22° 01m Dec	S/SW	8.40	4	Supernova Remnant	🔍︎
M45		The Pleiades	Taurus	Dec	03h 47.0m RA 24° 07m Dec	SE	1.60	110	Open Cluster	🔍︎