Aldebaran, Alpha Tauri, is an orange giant with an apparent magnitude varying between 0.75 and 0.95. It is the brightest star in the constellation Taurus and the 13th brightest star in the sky. Orion can be used to find Aldebaran, Procyon, Sirius, Castor and Pollux.Alpha Tauri has the stellar classification K5III. It has a diameter 44.2 times that of the Sun and is about 425 times more luminous. The star lies approximately 65.1 light years from Earth. It is classified as a slow irregular variable, type LB. Its brightness varies by about 0.2 magnitudes. Alpha Tauri’s traditional name, Aldebaran, comes from the Arabic al-dabarān, which means “the follower.” The star got this name because it appears to follow the Pleiades cluster, the Seven Sisters, across the sky.
Elnath is the second brightest star in Taurus. It has a visual magnitude of 1.68 and is approximately 131 light years distant.
Elnath is a giant star with the stellar classification B7III. It is 700 times more luminous than the Sun. Like Aldebaran, it lies near the ecliptic and can be occulted by the Moon.
The star’s proper name, Elnath, Alnath, or El Nath, is derived from the Arabic word an-naţħ, which means “the butting,” referring to the bull’s horns.
Elnath lies on the border with the constellation Auriga, the Charioteer, and has the Bayer designation Gamma Aurigae, which is not used very often anymore.
Zeta Tauri is a spectroscopic binary star with the stellar classification B2 IIIpe. It has a visual magnitude of 3.010 and is approximately 440 light years distant. The two components have an orbital period of roughly 133 days.
The primary component in the system is a rapid rotator, with a projected rotational velocity of 125 km/s. It has a circumstellar disk of gas. It has 11 solar masses and 5-6 times the Sun’s radius. The companion star is slightly less massive than the Sun.
Theta Tauri is another binary star in Taurus. It is one of the stars in the Hyadescluster. The two components in the system are separated by 5.62 arc minutes. The primary star is 154.4 light years distant from the solar system and the secondary is 150.4 light years away.
Theta-1 Tauri is an orange, class K giant (stellar classification K0 IIIb Fe-0.5) and the dimmer of the two components. It has a visual magnitude of 3.84. Theta-2 Tauri is a white giant belonging to the spectral class A7 III with a mean apparent magnitude of 3.40. It is a Delta Scuti variable, with variations in brightness ranging from magnitude 3.35 to 3.42 over a period of 1.82 hours.
Lambda Tauri is a triple star in Taurus constellation. Its Latin name is Pectus Tauri, which means “the bull’s chest.” The system has a visual magnitude of 3.47 and is approximately 480 light years distant.
The main component of Lambda Tauri is an inner pair of stars, designated Lambda Tauri AB, which orbit each other every 3.95 days and form an eclipsing binary star system similar to that of Algol in the constellation Perseus. The stars’ combined apparent magnitude varies from 3.37 to 3.91.
Lambda Tauri is a triple star in Taurus constellation. Its Latin name is Pectus Tauri, which means “the bull’s chest.” The system has a visual magnitude of 3.47 and is approximately 480 light years distant.
The main component of Lambda Tauri is an inner pair of stars, designated Lambda Tauri AB, which orbit each other every 3.95 days and form an eclipsing binary star system similar to that of Algol in the constellation Perseus. The stars’ combined apparent magnitude varies from 3.37 to 3.91.
Epsilon Tauri is an orange giant with the stellar classification K0 III. It has an apparent magnitude of 3.53 and is approximately 147 light years distant. It is located near the ecliptic and can occasionally be occulted by the Moon and, rarely, by planets. Epsilon Tauri has an 11th magnitude companion located 182 arc seconds from the primary. The star has the proper names Ain and Oculus Borealis, both of which mean “the eye.” Epsilon Tauri is a member of the Hyades cluster. Its age is estimated to be about 625 million years.