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Taurus

Legend

Taurus

Taurus represents a bull. When Zeus fell in love with Europa, the daughter of the King of Phoenica, he transformed himself into a white bull and hid among the king's herd. One day, as Europa was playing near the seashore, she noticed the new majestic white bull. She went over for a closer look, and the bull knelt down to allow her to climb up. But once she was on, the bull leapt in to the sea and swam to the island of Crete. Then Zeus changed back into human form and told Europa of his love for her.

Taurus is easy to spot if you can find the constellation Orion. Follow the three stars of Orion's belt towards the west and you'll run into a bright red-orange star — Aldebaran, the Eye of the Bull. Nearby you'll see 5 more stars that make a V with Aldebaran and trace out the Bull's face. These 5 stars are close together in space, all part of a cluster called the Hyades.

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