How to find Taurus
The bull's V-shaped face, the glittering Pleiades, and the remains of a supernova in one winter constellation.
Aldebaran — an orange giant marking the bull's fiery eye.
Taurus is a winter highlight packed with naked-eye treasures. The bull's face is a V of stars (the Hyades cluster) tipped by the orange eye, Aldebaran — though Aldebaran is a foreground star, not actually part of the cluster.
Riding on the bull's shoulder is the Pleiades, the most famous star cluster in the sky.
Two star clusters you can see unaided
The Hyades form the V of the bull's face — the nearest open cluster to Earth. The Pleiades (M45), a tight, blue-white knot of stars, look like a tiny dipper and reward binoculars beautifully. Most people see six or seven stars; binoculars show dozens.
A supernova's wreckage
Near the bull's horn lies the Crab Nebula (M1), the expanding debris of a star that exploded in the year 1054 — an event recorded by astronomers at the time. It needs a telescope and a dark sky.
How to find it
- Follow Orion's Belt up and to the right to reach orange Aldebaran
- Aldebaran sits at one tip of the V-shaped Hyades cluster
- Continue past the V to find the compact, sparkling Pleiades
Deep-sky highlights
- Pleiades (M45) — brilliant naked-eye cluster
- Hyades — the nearest open cluster, forming the bull's face
- Crab Nebula (M1) — a supernova remnant near the horn tip
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