Astronomy · Stars
Aldebaran
The orange giant eye of Taurus.
- Constellation
- Taurus
- Type
- Orange giant
- Appearance
- Marks the eye of the Bull
- Note
- A foreground star, not part of the Hyades cluster behind it
NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute · NASA media (public domain)
Gallery
Flickering Aldebaran #1
As Cassini watches the rings pass in front of the bright red giant star Aldebaran, the star light fluctuates, providing information about the concentrations of ring particles within the various radial features in the ri…
2006
NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute · NASA media (public domain)
The eye of the Bull
Aldebaran is an orange giant that marks the eye of Taurus. Its warm color and brightness make it a standout of the winter sky and a useful signpost near Orion.
In front of the Hyades
Aldebaran appears among the V-shaped Hyades star cluster, but this is a line-of-sight effect: Aldebaran is much closer to us than the cluster and is not a member of it.
An evolved star
As a giant, Aldebaran has evolved off the main sequence, expanding and cooling at the surface to its characteristic orange glow — a later stage in a star's life than the Sun's current phase.
Knowledge connections
How this connects across Asteria Star — scientific, cultural, and astrological links are kept separate.
Scientific connections
- Belongs toTaurus
- Associated withThe Winter Hexagon