The Stars for February 2009

When you name a star with us you can choose the constellation (area of the night sky) in which your star is located. The following chart shows which Name A Star Live constellations are visible during the first few hours after sunset this month:

Best Time to View the Stars

The best time to view the stars is when there is no moon out: Like the light pollution caused by city lights, moonlight drowns out the faint celestial objects otherwise visible through telescopes. In February 2009 it's best to view the stars during the last 1 1/2 weeks of the month.

Taurus

The constellation Taurus is easy to find in the night sky. Look for the V-shape group of stars (known as "The Hyades") that appears high in the southwestern sky this month after sunset. Just to the west of The Hyades are "The Pleiades," a small group of stars often confused with the Little Dipper (which is located in another constellation called "Ursa Minor"). If you are in the southern hemisphere of Earth (e.g., in Australia), Taurus appears low in the northwestern sky after sunset. The Hyades will be on their side (compared to the image above), and The Pleiades will appear below The Hyades: Rotate the above image clockwise a quarter-turn to see how Taurus appears shortly after sunset in Australia.

How Other Cultures Have Viewed the Stars

A Hubble Space Telescope image of the Pleiades star cluster (a.k.a. "The Seven Sisters") in the constellation Taurus. This famous group of stars, which can be seen with the naked eye, is often confused with the Little Dipper, which is located in another constellation (Ursa Minor). Credit: NASA/ESA/AURA/Caltech

Roman mythology tells the story of Taurus ("The Bull"), one of the oldest constellations. Jupiter fell in love with Europa, a Phoenician princess, and decided to kidnap her. He took the form of a white bull and stood with Europa’s father’s herd as she played on the beach. When she saw the white bull among the herd she went to it and stroked it. She noticed its gentleness and decided to climb upon its back. As soon as she mounted its back the bull, Jupiter in disguise, ran off into the sea and swam all the way to the island of Crete.

The Mesopotamians first referred to this constellation (area of the night sky) as a bull, which they called Gud.Anna., “Bull of Heaven.” In their legend the god of love, Ishtar, created the bull in order to destroy Gilgamesh, a hero who had rebuffed her advances. But Gilgamesh defeated the bull, who was then placed in the heavens.

The Pleiades
The Pleiades are a cluster of stars that mark the shoulders of the bull. But they are sometimes seen as a bunch of grapes that Orion, the hunter (a separate constellation), seems to be leaning forward to pick.
The Pleiades are often referred to as the Seven Sisters, who represent the seven daughters of Atlas, the famous titan who bore the weight of the world on his shoulders, and Pleione, an ocean nymph. The seven sisters are Alcyone (the most beautiful daughter and the brightest star in the group), Celaeno, Maja, Merope, Taygete, Sterope, and Electra. When Orion attempted to burst into the private sanctuary of the sisters’ home, Venus turned them into a flock of doves so they could fly away to safety.
There are also references to a lost Pleiad. This often refers to Electra and sometimes Merope, because they are stars that periodically vary in brightness: They are bright, then dim, then bright again…. In mythology the stars become dim because they cry and their tears blur the brilliance of their eyes. All of the Pleiades except one, either Electra or Merope, married gods. This was said to have saddened the sisters, who sometimes cried about it.

The Aborigines (native peoples of Australia) also viewed these stars as a cluster of young girls. These girls were seen as musicians who played for a group of boys which are represented by the three stars in Orion’s belt.

Indian Hindus saw the Pleiades as six nurses who cared for the son of the god Siva.
The Tapirape Indians of the Amazon viewed the appearance of the Pleiades as a sign that their rainy season was finally coming to an end. So these stars symbolized hope, and many ceremonies were celebrated in correspondence to the position of the Pleiades in the night sky.
The Zuni Indians of North America called the Pleiadies ‘seeds’ because they helped them decide when to plant their crops. The Zunis also knew that when the Pleiades moved directly overhead in the early morning it was time to harvest what they had planted, because the winter was coming soon. Other American Indian cultures viewed the Pleiades as seven children who longed to wander among the stars. They lost their way though and stayed close together so that they would not become separated. Yet other Native Americans, like the ancient Greeks, saw the Pleiades as seven women.

The Hyades
In Greek mythology these were the half sisters of the Pleiades, the seven daughters of Atlas and Aethra, an ocean nymph. The half sisters’ names were Aesula, Ambrosia, Dione, Thyene, Koronis, Eudora, and Polyxo. These seven sisters were so grief-stricken by the death of their brother Hyas, who drowned in a well, that their tears created heavy rainfall. Thus they are often associated with the wet or rainy season; in fact the term Hyades means “rain” in Greek. The group is often referred to as troublesome; Ptolemy mentions them as harbingers of fire, thunder, and lightning.

The chief star of the Hyades, Aldebaran, is referred to by Ptolemy as “the Torch,” due to its bright, rose-colored luminance. It is positioned on the left eye of the bull and was referred to as “the bright eye of the bull” or “bull’s eye.”

The Planets This Month

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Our Virtual Planetarium™ astronomy software shows you all the constellations and planets you can see from your location on any night of the year. We include this fascinating software in our Deluxe, Framed, and Ultimate Gift Sets. Our planisphere constellation finder is a great supplement to Virtual Planetarium™: Consider adding a planisphere to whatever gift set you buy.