The Constellation
Taurus |
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Mythology and History |
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The Bull. The Bull was the symbol for power and strength. |
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The Bull-god Apis was worshipped in Egypt for thousands of
years. To qualify for the honor of being an Apis-bull, a real bull
must have certain markings and then be tended by the high priests.
For as long as it lived, an Apis-bull supposedly embodied the soul of the
Bull-god. When the Apis-bull died, another, with similar markings,
had to be found to house the soul of the Bull-god. |
Years ago in Memphis, Egypt, archaeologists
unearthed the ancient tomb of the Apis-bulls and could hardly believe what
they found. Leading to the tomb itself was a broad paved avenue lined
by lions carved out of stone. To enter the tomb, one walked through
a long and high arched corridor cut into solid rock. It extended
for 2,000 feet and was 20 feet wide and 20 feet tall. Many recesses
along each side of the corridor had been carved into the rock and each
held the ornately entombed remains of Apis-bulls as each one died.
Spring was the time when festivals
honoring the Apis-bulls were held. It was also a time when the River
Nile gently overflowed its banks and brought life-giving water to the land,
a time for planting to begin. At this time in history, roughly around
4000 B.C., the Sun's position along the Zodiac on the first day of spring,
or Vernal Equinox, was in that constellation we now recognize as Taurus,
the Bull. So for many centuries Taurus was to be the first and most
important constellation of the Zodiac. Some have suggested that Taurus
may have been the first Zodiac constellation invented.
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In early Greek mythology, Zeus falls in love with Europa,
the daughter of the King of Tyre. But Europa was constantly guarded
by her father's servants. One day Zeus changed himself into a beautiful
white bull with golden horns. He then mixed with the royal herds
that were grazing in a large field by the sea. Europa, who had been
walking along the beach, noticed this beautiful animal and could not resist
going up to it and feeding it. So friendly and gentle was this splendid
bull that she climbed onto its back and grasped its golden horns. |
Gradually the white bull wandered
closer to the sea and when near the beach ran into the water and began
swimming towards the island of Crete. By this time is was to late
for Europa to climb off.
When the two arrived to Crete, Zeus
changed himself back into his own form. Realizing that he could not
marry Europa himself, Zeus gave her in marriage to Asterius, king of Crete.
When you look for Taurus in the sky,
don't expect to find the entire bull. You are supposed to see only
his front half. The explanation is that his hind quarters are underwater
since he is quite busy carrying Europa across the sea to Crete. Don't
really expect to see the shape of the front quarters of a bull, except
in your imagination.
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The Hyades, a V-shaped cluster of stars forming the face
of Taurus, has its own mythological story. The Hyades were sisters
of Hyas, a great hunter whose death they mourned. The girls were
chosen by Zeus to care for his child Dionysus (god of Wine) when his
mother died. Zeus placed the sisters into the sky for their service
and pity for their grief, and there they continue to weep for their brother. |
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The ancient Babylonians and Sumerians also recorded the constellation
Taurus in the night sky. |
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The Arabs called Taurus Al Thaur, Il Toro by the Italians,
Le Taureau by the French, Taura by the Persians, and Shor
by the Jews, all meaning the Bull. |
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Taurus also contains M1 (NGC 1952), the Crab Nebula.
The Crab Nebula is about 5,000 light years away from Earth. It is
the remnant of a supernova that occurred in A.D. 1054. The supernova
was so bright that it was visible during the day time. The name of
the nebula comes from its supposed resemblance to a crab. It is one
of the most studied objects in the sky. In 1968 a pulsar was identified
near the center of the Crab Nebula. It emits pulses of radio energy
with an extremely high degree of regularity. The period is about
33 milliseconds, so short and so regular that it must be due to the rotation
of a very dense neutron star. |
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