The Bull. The Bull was the symbol for power and strength.
The Bull-god Apis was worshipped in Egypt for thousands of years. To qualify for the honor of being an Apis-bull, a real bull must have certain markings and then be tended by the high priests. For as long as it lived, an Apis-bull supposedly embodied the soul of the Bull-god. When the Apis-bull died, another, with similar markings, had to be found to house the soul of the Bull-god.
In early Greek mythology, Zeus falls in love with Europa, the daughter of the King of Tyre. But Europa was constantly guarded by her father's servants. One day Zeus changed himself into a beautiful white bull with golden horns. He then mixed with the royal herds that were grazing in a large field by the sea. Europa, who had been walking along the beach, noticed this beautiful animal and could not resist going up to it and feeding it. So friendly and gentle was this splendid bull that she climbed onto its back and grasped its golden horns.
The Hyades, a V-shaped cluster of stars forming the face of Taurus, has its own mythological story. The Hyades were sisters of Hyas, a great hunter whose death they mourned. The girls were chosen by Zeus to care for his child Dionysus (god of Wine) when his mother died. Zeus placed the sisters into the sky for their service and pity for their grief, and there they continue to weep for their brother.
The ancient Babylonians and Sumerians also recorded the constellation Taurus in the night sky.
The Arabs called Taurus Al Thaur, Il Toro by the Italians, Le Taureau by the French, Taura by the Persians, and Shor by the Jews, all meaning the Bull.
Taurus also contains M1 (NGC 1952), the Crab Nebula. The Crab Nebula is about 5,000 light years away from Earth. It is the remnant of a supernova that occurred in A.D. 1054. The supernova was so bright that it was visible during the day time. The name of the nebula comes from its supposed resemblance to a crab. It is one of the most studied objects in the sky. In 1968 a pulsar was identified near the center of the Crab Nebula. It emits pulses of radio energy with an extremely high degree of regularity. The period is about 33 milliseconds, so short and so regular that it must be due to the rotation of a very dense neutron star.
The Bull-god Apis was worshipped in Egypt for thousands of years. To qualify for the honor of being an Apis-bull, a real bull must have certain markings and then be tended by the high priests. For as long as it lived, an Apis-bull supposedly embodied the soul of the Bull-god. When the Apis-bull died, another, with similar markings, had to be found to house the soul of the Bull-god.
In early Greek mythology, Zeus falls in love with Europa, the daughter of the King of Tyre. But Europa was constantly guarded by her father's servants. One day Zeus changed himself into a beautiful white bull with golden horns. He then mixed with the royal herds that were grazing in a large field by the sea. Europa, who had been walking along the beach, noticed this beautiful animal and could not resist going up to it and feeding it. So friendly and gentle was this splendid bull that she climbed onto its back and grasped its golden horns.
The Hyades, a V-shaped cluster of stars forming the face of Taurus, has its own mythological story. The Hyades were sisters of Hyas, a great hunter whose death they mourned. The girls were chosen by Zeus to care for his child Dionysus (god of Wine) when his mother died. Zeus placed the sisters into the sky for their service and pity for their grief, and there they continue to weep for their brother.
The ancient Babylonians and Sumerians also recorded the constellation Taurus in the night sky.
The Arabs called Taurus Al Thaur, Il Toro by the Italians, Le Taureau by the French, Taura by the Persians, and Shor by the Jews, all meaning the Bull.
Taurus also contains M1 (NGC 1952), the Crab Nebula. The Crab Nebula is about 5,000 light years away from Earth. It is the remnant of a supernova that occurred in A.D. 1054. The supernova was so bright that it was visible during the day time. The name of the nebula comes from its supposed resemblance to a crab. It is one of the most studied objects in the sky. In 1968 a pulsar was identified near the center of the Crab Nebula. It emits pulses of radio energy with an extremely high degree of regularity. The period is about 33 milliseconds, so short and so regular that it must be due to the rotation of a very dense neutron star.
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