Who Discovered the Constellation Taurus?
Who discovered the constellation Taurus? The constellation Taurus has been known to people around the world since ancient times.
You could say that it was ancient people who discovered the constellation Taurus. The bull, with its strength, had a place of honor in religious ceremonies. Four thousand years ago, the Sun was in Taurus during the spring equinox, so that was the time to plant crops.
In the constellation, the head of the bull contains the V-shaped group of stars known as the Hyades. It is made up of about 200 stars, with the brightest one making a V-shape.
In mythology, the Hyades were the half sisters of the Pleiades and daughters of Aethra and Atlas. The bull’s red eye is shown by the orange, bright star Aldebaran. It is the brightest star in the whole constellation, and one of the brightest in the night sky. The name Aldebaran is Arabic for "the follower," because it seems to follow the Seven Sisters star cluster. It is also called the Bull's Eye, because of its color and position in the bull's head.
Also in the Taurus constellation is the well-known Pleiades, or "Seven Sisters." The seven sisters are a group of nymphs, who are the daughters of Pleione and Atlas. The stars include many blue giants, and are younger than the stars in the Hyades.
Who Discovered the Constellation Taurus?
Ancient civilizations discovered the constellations and named them. A constellation is a group of stars that form a pattern, like when you play connect the dots.
People wanted to make sense of the hundreds of stars in the night sky, so they named them. They also noticed when some constellations appeared and reappeared during the year, so they were used to mark certain events, like planting and harvesting crops.
The ancient Babylonians were not the ones who discovered the constellation Taurus, but they did invent the concept of the zodiac. These 12 constellations are on the Sun's ecliptic or path through the night sky so they divided the ecliptic into segments and used them to measure celestial time. Since most constellations were named after animals, the Greeks chose the term "zodiakos kyklos" which means "animal circle." The signs of the zodiac are:
When you are born, the Sun and the zodiac constellations are in a certain position. Astrologers believe that you are influenced by this, and it is from this knowledge that you can formulate your horoscope.
Taurus in Mythology
Minerva, goddess of wisdom, presided over the creative arts, which included weaving, spinning, and needlework. One of her mortal subjects, Arachne, had become very skilled in embroidery that the nymphs would come and marvel at her skill.
Arachne decided to challenge Minerva to a contest. Minerva's tapestry showed the gods of power, Jupiter and Neptune, in the center of the work, with the corners showing scenes of things that displeased the gods. Arachne's work showed the weaknesses of the gods. One scene showed the story of Jupiter’s abduction of Europa. Jupiter assumed the form of a white bull with gold horns, persuaded Europa to get on his back, and swam with her to Crete. There, he showed her who he was and claimed her as his bride.
Arachne's tapestry was so lifelike, that the nymphs thought it was real. This angered Minerva, and she slashed the tapestry to shreds and tormented Arachne, so much so that she left and hanged herself. Minerva took pity on her and gave her back her life, but as a punishment for her impertinence, she made her hair come off and shrunk her body. She moved her fingers to her side to serve as legs, and left her suspended from the rope.
Arachne's descendants are spiders, who spin and weave intricate designs. Therefore, Taurus is Jupiter, king of the gods, disguised as a bull. All of the ancient civilizations called this constellation the Bull.