How to find Taurus
When to look
November, December, January, February evenings
Face east, then south
A V of stars with a bright orange one, Aldebaran, at one tip. Follow Orion's belt up and to the right to reach it; the Pleiades are just beyond. Autumn and winter evenings: east after dark in November, high in the south in January, near Orion. The drawing below is made from the real positions of its 7 stars, as the sky looks when you face it, with bigger dots for brighter stars. No telescope needed.
Taurus has stars in a V shape. One of them is bright and orange: Aldebaran. Find it by following Orion's belt.
The V of Taurus is a star cluster called the Hyades, one of the nearest to us. Aldebaran, the bright orange star at its tip, isn't part of the cluster: it just lies in front of it. The Pleiades cluster is in Taurus too, just to the north-west.
The Hyades are about 150 light-years away; Aldebaran is less than half that distance, an orange giant along the same line of sight. The Taurid meteor showers of October and November seem to come from this part of the sky, and are known for slow fireballs.
The stars in it
Aldebaran, Theta, Gamma, Delta, Epsilon, Elnath, Zeta. The brightest is Aldebaran.
How to find it
- Go out after dark with a grown-up, and give your eyes ten minutes away from screens.
- Face east, then south and look for: a V of stars with a bright orange one, Aldebaran, at one tip. Follow Orion's belt up and to the right to reach it; the Pleiades are just beyond.
- Hold up this page's drawing or the printed card and match the shape to the sky. If the sky is clear.
More star patterns
“Star patterns turn through the night, so the shape may be tipped on its side. Turn your head, not the sky.”