| Taurus (The Bull) |
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A conspicuous zodiacal constellation, supposedly representing the head and forequarters of a bull. It was listed by Ptolemy (c. AD 140) and is possibly one of the most ancient of constellations. The brightest star is the first magnitude Aldebaran, which appears to belong the Hyades cluster, though it is in fact in the foreground. In total, there are fourteen stars brighter than fourth magnitude. The Pleiades cluster and the Crab Nebula also lie within the boundaries of Taurus. See also: Table 4. |