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Taurus

Taurus. Constellation: The Bull. Ursa Major. Tauri Abbreviation Tau 4 stars with known planets 2 Messier Objects M1 & M45 2 meteor showers Taurids Late Oct/early Nov Beta Taurids June/July Tunguska?. Taurus. One of oldest recognized constellations

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Taurus

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  1. Taurus Constellation: The Bull

  2. Ursa Major • Tauri • Abbreviation Tau • 4 stars with known planets • 2 Messier Objects • M1 & M45 • 2 meteor showers • Taurids • Late Oct/early Nov • Beta Taurids • June/July • Tunguska?

  3. Taurus • One of oldest recognized constellations • appeared beginning of spring between 4000 and 1800 BC • signaled start of new year • bull, symbol of strength & fertility • figures prominently in mythology of nearly all early civilizations

  4. Taurus • Ancient Egypt • Apis, Bull of Memphis • served as earthly vessel of soul of Osiris, god of Sun & Nile • possibly inspiration for Cretan Minotaur • Sumerian sacred “bull of light” • possibly Golden Calf of Israel

  5. Taurus • Classical Greece: Zeus in disguise of white bull with golden horns • seduced & abducted Europa in this form • swam away with her to Crete; which is why we see only the forequarters in the constellation • Often thought to be charging Orion

  6. Taurus • Hyades ‘Υάδες • these nymphs were sisters, chosen by Zeus to care for his child Dionysus • Pleiades • “sailing stars” by Greeks; storms were too likely if they were not in the sky

  7. Taurus • Aldebaran (a Tau) • derived from the Arabic الدبران al-dabarān meaning "the follower“ • closely follows Pleiades cluster across the sky

  8. Taurus • Aldebaran (a Tau) • K5 III star • orangish, large • used up all its hydrogen fuel • minor companion (dim M2)

  9. Taurus • Aldebaran (a Tau) • K5 III star • ~65 ly away • ~38 times diameter of Sun ; ~150 times brighter • 14th brightest star; apparent magnitude 0.87

  10. Taurus • Aldebaran (a Tau) • astrologically fortunate, portending riches & honor • one of the four “royal stars” of Persians (4000 BC) • Aldebaran (a Tau) • Regulus (a Leo) • Antares (a Sco) • Fomalhaut (a Pis)

  11. Taurus • Crab nebula • M 1/NGC 1952 • supernova remnant • visible in day 1054 • China & Middle East • 6300 ly away • pulsar in center

  12. Taurus • Crab nebula • M 1/NGC 1952 • supernova remnant • visible in day 1054 • China & Middle East • 6300 ly away • pulsar in center • HST & X-ray imagery

  13. Taurus Many a night I saw the Pleiads, rising thro’ the mellow shade Glitter like a swarm of fireflies, tangled in a silver braid. Tennyson

  14. Taurus • Pleiades • M45 • open cluster • ~440 ly away • ~12 ly across • around 500 stars • dominated by young blue stars • important in distance scales

  15. Taurus • Pleiades • Seven Sisters of Greek mythology • Sterope, Merope, Electra, Maia, Taygete, Celaeno and Alcyone • parents Atlas and Pleione • as daughters of Atlas, Hyades were sisters of the Pleiades

  16. Taurus • Pleiades • Comet Machholz passes the Pleiades early 2005

  17. Taurus • Pleiades • Tortoise in Japanese folklore • Subaru

  18. Taurus • Nebra sky disk • Bronze • 1600 BC • One of oldest representations of cosmos

  19. Taurus • Hyades • Nearest star cluster • 151 ly • Hipparcos data • ~625 million years old

  20. Taurus • Hipparcos • High Precision Parallax Collecting Satellite • European Space Agency (ESA) • 1989-1993 • Hipparcos Catalog • 118,218 stars with 1-3 mas astrometry • Tycho-2 Catalog • 2,539,913 of brightest stars (~500 visible to naked eye) • 99% complete to mV ~ 11.0 • 90% complete to mV ~ 11.5

  21. Taurus

  22. Taurus Applause

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