The constellation of Taurus (the Bull, bottom and centre left). The brightest stars at bottom centre form a v-shaped feature which is associated with

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The constellation of Taurus (the Bull, bottom and centre left). The brightest stars at bottom centre form a v-shaped feature which is associated with the bull's head. The brightest star in this group is Aldebaran, a red giant star at a distance of about 60 light years from Earth. All the stars seen within and near the v-shaped feature (with the exception of Aldebaran) form the Hyades open star cluster, the nearest star cluster (130 light years) to the Solar System. The Pleiades (M45) star cluster, also known as The Seven Sisters, is seen as a condensed group of stars at centre right. The red feature at top centre is the California Nebula in the constellation of Perseus.

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Photo credit: © JOHN SANFORD/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
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Keywords: astronomy, constellation, cosmology, pleiades, science, star, stars, stellar, taurus