Editing Taurus (constellation) (section)

==Characteristics==
Taurus is a large and prominent constellation in the [[northern hemisphere]]'s winter sky, between [[Aries (constellation)|Aries]] to the west and [[Gemini (constellation)|Gemini]] to the east; to the north lies [[Perseus (constellation)|Perseus]] and [[Auriga (constellation)|Auriga]], to the southeast [[Orion (constellation)|Orion]], to the south [[Eridanus (constellation)|Eridanus]], and to the southwest [[Cetus]]. In late November-early December, Taurus reaches opposition (furthest point from the Sun) and is visible the entire night. By late March, it is setting at sunset and completely disappears behind the Sun's glare from May to July.<ref name="Garfinkle 1997" />

This constellation forms part of the zodiac and hence is intersected by the [[ecliptic]]. This circle across the [[celestial sphere]] forms the apparent path of the Sun as the Earth completes its annual orbit. As the orbital plane of the Moon and the planets lie near the ecliptic, they can usually be found in the constellation Taurus during some part of each year.<ref name="Garfinkle 1997" /> The [[galactic plane]] of the [[Milky Way]] intersects the northeast corner of the constellation and the [[galactic anticenter]] is located near the border between Taurus and Auriga. Taurus is the only constellation crossed by all three of the galactic equator, celestial equator, and ecliptic. A ring-like galactic structure known as [[Gould's Belt]] passes through the constellation.<ref name="crossen_rhemann2004" />

The recommended three-letter abbreviation for the constellation, as adopted by the [[International Astronomical Union]] in 1922, is "Tau".<ref name="pa30_469" /> The official constellation boundaries, as set by Belgian astronomer [[Eugène Joseph Delporte|Eugène Delporte]] in 1930, are defined by a polygon of 26 segments. In the [[equatorial coordinate system]], the [[right ascension]] coordinates of these borders lie between {{RA|03|23.4}} and {{RA|05|53.3}}, while the [[declination]] coordinates are between 31.10° and −1.35°.<ref name="boundary" /> Because a small part of the constellation lies to the south of the [[celestial equator]], this can not be a completely [[circumpolar constellation]] at any latitude.<ref name="seeds2007" />