Taurus Constellation

Tonight, if you look at the stars, you can see the constellation Taurus. It is located between Aries which is to the west and Gemini to the east. This is zodiac constellation that can only be seen in the northern hemisphere during the winter and spring (McClure). For Greek mythology, the Taurus was Zeus's bull that helped him swoon Princess Europa. When Zeus appeared as the bull before Princess Europa where she was so infatuated by the beautiful white bull that she gathered flowers and placed them on him. After that, she was whisked away to the island of Crete with Zeus (McClure). Besides the stories from Greek mythology, the Taurus was used for other reasons for astronomers. The Taurus, along with the other zodiac constellations, marks the path of the sun which helped the astronomers understand the movement of the sun (McClure). Below, there is a picture depicting where the Taurus is in the night sky and which way you can turn to find this constellation.

 

Picture of Taurus By Victoria Wynecoop

Citations

McClure, Bruce. "Taurus? Here's Your Constellation". EarthSky: Updates on your Cosmos and World. 5, Jan. 2015. Web. 9, Dec. 2015. <http://earthsky.org/constellations/taurus-heres-your-constellation>