Taurus is one of the constellations of the zodiac, the bull. It sits large and prominent in the winter sky, between Aries to the west and Gemini to the east; to the north lie Perseus and Auriga; to the southwest Orion; and in the southeast, Eridanus and Cetus.
One of the few first-magnitude stars in the sky, the bright red Aldebaran, sits in the middle of this constellation. The bull's horns stretch westward, marked by Elnath (Beta Tauri, traditionally shared with Auriga) and Zeta Tauri. In the east of the constellation lies one of the best-known open clusters, the Pleiades, which is easily visible.
In Greek mythology, this corresponds with the bull form Zeus took to win Europa, a Phoenician princess. The astrological sign Taurus (April 20 - May 20) is associated with the constellation. In some cosmologies, Taurus is associated with the classical element Earth and is thus called an Earth Sign (with Virgo and Capricorn). Its polar opposite is Scorpio. Taurus is a Fixed Earth sign; in other words, Taurus planets tend to act as if they were set in stone. Taurus is the second stage in the evolutionary process of the zodiac and begins to stabilize the new identity created in Aries by identifying with the material world.
The keywords for Taurus are "I HAVE."
