Beta Tauri

Alnath (Beta Tauri)
Alnath (Beta Tauri). Credit: Learmonth Solar Observatory
A giant B star and the second brightest star in the constellation Taurus.

[7932] beta Tauri, the second brightest star, lies near the border with the constellation Auriga. It is sometimes called El Nath or Alnath ("the bull's horns"). El Nath is a B class star evolving into a giant. It lies about 131 light-years from Earth.

ELNATH (Beta Tauri). Equally well called El Nath, Elnath lies at the tip of the great northern horn of Taurus, the Bull.

^ Alnath (Beta Tauri), The Internet Encyclopedia of Science, David Darling. Accessed on line August 13, 2008.
^ a b Alpheratz, Stars, Jim Kaler. Accessed on line August 13, 2008.

The Beta Taurids are one of the daylight showers, occuring on June 5th and lasting till July, 18th. They reach an hourly rate of 25 meteors.

In 1978, Slovak astronomer Lubor Kresak suggested that the body was a piece of the short-period Comet Encke, which is responsible for the Beta Taurid meteor shower; the Tunguska event coincided with a peak in that shower.

The name El Nath invites confusion with Beta Tauri, generally known as Elnath. This name derives from the Arabic name Al Natih, "The Butting One." ...

Aldebaran is viewed by some as the glowing eye of the Bull, with white star Beta Tauri (Elnath) as its pushing horn and the Hyades star cluster forming its head.

Let us say, for instance, that it's a late November evening and Taurus has been visible for an hour or so far to the east. You want to find Capella, which is due north of El Nath (beta Tauri).

regarded one star as being shared by Auriga and Taurus, shown on old star maps as representing the right foot of the charioteer and also the tip of the bull's left horn. Modern astronomers now assign this star exclusively to Taurus as Beta Tauri.

See also: Sun, Sky, Light, Second, Taurus