Auriga was pictured by the Assyrians as a charioteer, but the early Greeks saw in this constellation a good shepherd, who carried a goat on his back and two kids in his arms. The brilliant star Capella is supposed to be the goat and the three small stars which form a triangle close to Capella are the kids as shown in [Fig. 24].
When the North Star cannot be seen the star Capella will prove a useful aid with Orion in finding the north; and since it is just about half way between Orion and the North Star it may again be useful in judging the distance of the North Star from Orion when the former star is obscured.
The Constellation of Taurus.—The last constellation which need concern us here is Taurus (pronounced To´-rus) the Bull. Taurus is one of the constellations of the zodiac of which we will have something to say in [Chapter XI]. By the time you have learned the foregoing constellations you will be able to locate Taurus without using your star chart, for it lies to the north of Orion, to the south of Auriga and a little to the west of both of these constellations as you will see in [Figs. 25] and [27].
Fig. 25.—Constellation of Taurus.
Fig. 26.—Taurus the Bull.
The little group of stars nearby is the Pleiades (pronounced plē-ya-dez), and is a part of the constellation of Taurus. There are six small but bright stars grouped closely together when seen by the ordinary person, but if you have very sharp eyes you may be able to make out one or two more.
It is believed that the stars of Taurus were the first to be woven into a group or constellation by the ancients, and it is thought that the Bull of Light, as Taurus was called, was known long before the time of Abraham, or over four thousand years ago. [Fig. 26] shows Taurus as the Egyptians saw him. The bright red star which sets in the right eye of Taurus is called Aldebaran (pronounced Al-deb´-a-ran) and is one of the brightest stars in the sky. In the star chart shown in [Fig. 27] the different constellations you have learned are grouped together in the same positions in which they are placed in the sky.
