Taurus belongs to the zodiac family of constellations, along with Aries, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpius, Sagittarius, Capricornus and Pisces. The neighboring constellations are Aries, Auriga, Cetus, Eridanus, Gemini, Orion and Perseus. It is located in the first quadrant of the northern hemisphere (NQ1) and can be seen at latitudes between +90° and -65°. It is one of the 15 equatorial constellations. Taurus is the 17th largest constellation in the sky, occupying an area of 797 square degrees. These include the supernova remnant Messier 1 (the Crab Nebula), Hind’s Variable Nebula (NGC 1555), the colliding galaxies NGC 1410 and NGC 1409, the Crystal Ball Nebula (NGC 1514), and the Merope Nebula (NGC 1435). Taurus has a number of other well-known deep sky objects. The constellation is also home to the Pleiades (Messier 45), also known as the Seven Sisters, and the Hyades, the two nearest open star clusters to Earth. Taurus is known for its bright stars Aldebaran, Elnath, and Alcyone, as well as for the variable star T Tauri. In Greek mythology, the constellation is associated with Zeus, who transformed himself into a bull to get close to Europa and abduct her. Taurus is one of the 12 constellations of the zodiac, first catalogued by the Greek astronomer Claudius Ptolemy in the 2nd century CE. Its history dates back to the Bronze Age. The constellation is symbolized by the bull’s head, ♉. Taurus is a large constellation in the northern sky.
