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How to find Taurus and Aldebaran

To recognize Taurus, find orange-tinted Aldebaran beside a V-shaped group: the Hyades. The V marks the head. The nearby Pleiades form a separate, much more compact group in this region of the sky.

  1. Orion’s Belt
  2. Aldebaran
  3. Taurus
Taurus
Opening the 3D sky…
  1. 1 / 5

    Start at Orion’s Belt

    On a winter evening, find the three stars of Orion’s Belt. They are your pointer towards Taurus.

    Scroll: the sky guides you from star to star.
  2. 2 / 5

    Extend the Belt to Aldebaran

    Extend the line of the three stars. It points to Aldebaran, a bright orange star.

  3. 3 / 5

    Keep going

    Aldebaran lies several Belt lengths away. Stop too soon and you land in empty sky.

  4. 4 / 5

    Check the V and the horns

    Aldebaran marks the end of one branch of a V of stars, the Hyades: the Bull’s face. Two long horns stretch beyond it, one ending at Elnath. Together, they confirm Taurus.

  5. 5 / 5

    Now find Taurus without help

    No lines, no markers. Start at Orion’s Belt, follow it to orange Aldebaran, then check the V and the horns.

When to look

Evenings around November to March work well from many latitudes: the colder season in the north and warmer season in the south. Altitude and orientation depend on your observing location.

Avoid this mix-up

The Pleiades are neither the Bull’s entire head nor a separate constellation. Aldebaran looks close to the Hyades but is not a member of the cluster.

Are the Pleiades part of Taurus?

They lie in the sky region of Taurus. They are a star cluster separate from the Hyades, with a much more compact appearance.

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References & image credits

Editorial check: 31 October 2026 · Poppot

A reference view, not the sky above your location right now. The orientation changes with your location and the time. About the sky map →

The guided sky reuses the app’s lesson: HYG catalogue, observing night, camera route and constellation figures. Figures are teaching aids, not official constellation boundaries.