Taurus is among one of the oldest constellations recognized by human civilization. The bull, in many ancient cultures, is a symbol of strength and fertility. It is very prominent in Greek mythology, and many stars in the constellation are also significant.
The Mythology
As we’ve learned, Zeus had an insatiable lust for beautiful women. Europa was no exception. The beautiful daughter of Agenor, king of Tyre, was out by the sea picking flowers when Zeus saw her. The night before, a terrible dream had kept her up, so she made her way to the beach early in hopes to calm her worried mind.
Zeus saw her on the shore, immediately fell in love with her and transformed himself into a handsome, white bull, called Taurus, to capture her attention. Taurus pranced around her, capturing her interest as he intended, and she placed her flower necklace around his neck. He became very gentle with her, so much so that she tried to climb onto his back. When she became securely on him, to her surprise, the bull ran towards the sea and kidnapped Europa. He confessed his love for her and took her to the island of Crete, where he told her the truth of his identity. Zeus kept Europa there and made her his lover, and together they had three sons. One son, Minos, became the king of Crete and set a very successful code of laws. Minos died and, along with his brother Rhadamanthus, became one of the three judges of the dead in the Underworld. Europa was the first queen of Crete, and Hera never found out about their affair. To pay homage to his beautiful mistress, Zeus placed the image of the Taurus into the stars, forever to be close to him in the heavens.
The Facts
The Crab Nebula is a beautiful stellar object that can be found in the Taurus constellation. This nebula had been a supernova explosion that created what it is now. Atlas is also an important star in this cluster. DG Tau is another star located in Taurus, a young one that expels high energy x-rays. It’s believed to be about 450 light years away from Earth, and has the same mass as the sun.
