Download CONSTELLATION POWER POINT PROJECT

CONSTELLATION POWER POINT
PROJECT
Michelle V. Gonzalez
Period 1
Name:
Formal name: Taurus
Common asterisms: The Bull
Location:
In the night sky the RA is 4
hours, and the Declination
is 15 degrees
Size/area: 797 square
degrees
Relative star constellations:
Cygnus, the swan, with 804
square degrees.
Camelopardalis, the giraffe,
with 757 square degrees.
Also, the Sagittarius with
867 square degrees.
Neighboring constellations:
Perseus, Aries, Cetus, Orion,
Gemini, Eridanus, and
Auriga
Visible:
Visibility in DFW/northern hemisphere: The
bull is visible through the months
November-March and it is most visible in
January. In the northern hemisphere it is
most visible in the winter season within the
evening sky.
Zodiac/Circumpolar: The Taurus is
considered to be a zodiac
Brightest Stars: 1) Aldebaran, RA: 04h 35
min DEC: +16.18’ MAG: 0.85 2) Alnath, RA:
5h 26.292m DEC: 28 degrees 36.450’ MAG:
1.65 3) Hyadum 1, RA: 4h 19.8m DEC: +15
degrees 37.8’ MAG: 2.48
5 stars within the Taurus have a magnitude
less than 3, which are the Aldebaran,
Alnath, Hyadum 1, Elnath, and the
Pleiades.
Greek/Roman mythology:
In the Greek legend, the Taurus is a
disguise that Zeus uses to get what he
wants. On this occasion, Zeus had fallen
in love with Europa, the daughter of King
Agenor. He transformed himself into a
white bull that was so gentle, they felt no
fear. As Europa and her maidens began
to strongly trust the bull, Europa climbed
on his back. However, at that moment,
the bull plunged into the sea and swam
away with Europa terrified. When they
reached Crete, Zeus revealed his true
identity and kept her by force. She was
then married him and had three sons
with him.
OTHER MYTHS:
Many cultures saw this constellation as a bull,
including the Greeks. In the story, Jupiter developed
feelings for Europa, who was not interested and
wanted nothing to do with a god. Pulling a trick,
Jupiter changed himself into a white bull and walked
towards Europa who was picking flowers in a nearby
field. Europa was then impressed and eventually got
on the bull's back. Immediately the bull ran away
and took Europa back to Crete. There, Jupiter
revealed himself. Whether Europa was impressed by
Jupiter's shape shifting abilities or Jupiter himself, she
married him. The Taurus today is said to represent
that particular bull. Also, to the ancient Egyptians, it
represented the god Osiris, the god of the dead and
of the afterlife and father of Horus, the god of the
living.
ANY OTHER INTERESTING OR UNUSUAL FACTS ABOUT YOUR
CONSTELLATION:
1) The Chinese called this constellation the White
Tiger of the West
2) The galactic plane of the Milky Way intersects the
North East corner of the Taurus.
3) The Taurus is the only constellation that has such
alignment: the intersection of the galactic equator,
celestial equator, and ecliptic.
WORKS CITED
www.space.com
www.universetoday.com
www.constellationofwords.com
www.astronomyfactbook.com
www.astrostudio.org
www.solarsystemquick.com
www.heavens-above.com
www.starryskies.com
www.haikudeck.com
www.brighthub.com
www.buzzle.com
www.sizes.com