b Tauri (El Nath)


Beta Tauri, "El Nath" (The Butting One), represents the tip of the Bull's upper (northern) horn.

Beta Tauri is fairly bright at a visual magnitude of 1.65 (a bit brighter than its companion tip, zeta). It's easily found by starting at Betelgeuse (alpha Orionis) and drawing an imaginary line to Capella, that very bright star far to the north. Half way along that line will be found El Nath, beta Tauri, in a rather lonely neighbourhood: binoculars.

This star, beta Tauri, is also the door to entering Auriga for the same star is shared with Auriga and is sometimes known as gamma Aurigae.

The other horn tip is to the south-southeast. With the naked eye, from El Nath move directly towards Betelgeuse; you'll encounter zeta Tauri before you get half the distance. In zeta's vicinity is the famous Crab Nebula.


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