Babylonian Bull of Heaven Watches Over Our Skies
A majestic sight in our night sky, Taurus has been a celestial favorite for thousands of years. The oldest recorded constellation to take shape in its modern form, it originated as the "bull of heaven" in ancient Babylonian texts from around 1000BC. Yet, evidence suggests that humans may have already associated this starry figure with a mighty bull even 14,000 years ago, with cave drawings from Lascaux, France hinting at an earlier connection.
The bright red giant Aldebaran is the constellation's crowning jewel, shining brightly in its V-shaped cluster known as the Hyades. This striking group of stars represents the bull's face, a testament to human ingenuity in mapping the night sky long ago. Just off Aldebaran lies another star cluster, the Pleiades – or seven sisters – which boasts Alcyone as its brightest and most radiant member.
Located along the ecliptic, the path traversed by the Sun throughout the year, Taurus offers breathtaking views of our cosmic neighborhood. And with its prominent position in the zodiac, this constellation can be spotted from both London's northern horizon and the southern hemisphere's own star-studded skies.
As we gaze up at the night sky on a typical Wednesday evening, we are treated to a dazzling spectacle – a celestial embodiment of ancient myth and culture that continues to captivate us.
A majestic sight in our night sky, Taurus has been a celestial favorite for thousands of years. The oldest recorded constellation to take shape in its modern form, it originated as the "bull of heaven" in ancient Babylonian texts from around 1000BC. Yet, evidence suggests that humans may have already associated this starry figure with a mighty bull even 14,000 years ago, with cave drawings from Lascaux, France hinting at an earlier connection.
The bright red giant Aldebaran is the constellation's crowning jewel, shining brightly in its V-shaped cluster known as the Hyades. This striking group of stars represents the bull's face, a testament to human ingenuity in mapping the night sky long ago. Just off Aldebaran lies another star cluster, the Pleiades – or seven sisters – which boasts Alcyone as its brightest and most radiant member.
Located along the ecliptic, the path traversed by the Sun throughout the year, Taurus offers breathtaking views of our cosmic neighborhood. And with its prominent position in the zodiac, this constellation can be spotted from both London's northern horizon and the southern hemisphere's own star-studded skies.
As we gaze up at the night sky on a typical Wednesday evening, we are treated to a dazzling spectacle – a celestial embodiment of ancient myth and culture that continues to captivate us.
I think it's awesome how these stars were mapped out by our ancestors like 14,000 years ago! It's mind-blowing to think about the artwork in those caves being connected to the night sky we see today. The way Taurus looks like a majestic bull with Aldebaran and the Hyades is just so cool 
. I mean, can you imagine what other ancient myths are hidden among the stars? 
It's amazing how astronomy still has that same mystique and wonder for us in 2025 
I mean think about it - we're still totally mesmerized by this super old constellation 
... 14,000 years ago humans already knew how to draw pretty cool pics of a bull 
on the cave walls 
. It's like our ancestors were totally into astronomy way back when 
. And can you even imagine being able to see Taurus from London and the southern hemisphere at the same time? Mind blown! 
We're still so connected to those ancient cultures 
... it's like we're gazing up at a piece of our collective history 
️. I'm all about that celestial vibes, tbh 
aldebaran tho is straight fire 
gotta love how ancient civilizations mapped out our night sky 
. Like, who cares about some ancient bull in the sky? It's not like it's even real or anything... I mean, we've been looking at these same stars for 14,000 years and what have we accomplished? We still can't even get our planet sorted out with climate change 
. This Taurus constellation stuff is just a bunch of nostalgic nonsense 
.
. Now we got all these fancy space programs and telescopes but sometimes I think we forget about just appreciating the simple beauty of the stars on a clear night 
.