On Sunday night the gibbous moon appears in the zodiacal constellation Taurus. The moon and constellation rise in the east well after sunset, at about 10:30 p.m.

Taurus, the bull, is a zodiac favorite. The constellation has two distinct features which stand out and you’ll see them both easily with the help of the moon’s placement. The head of the bull is a group of stars called the Hyades that form an irregular “V” shape.

The second feature is a small group of stars, known as the Pleiades, which looks like a tiny dipper. It is also known as the Seven Sisters, though there are more than seven stars. Many have observed nine. With a telescope there are plenty more. Astronomers know that many of these stars, over 400, are considerably brighter than our own sun.

Both the Hyades and the Pleiades are star clusters located in our Milky Way. The Hyades is 151 light years away. The Pleiades is farther away at 424 light years away.

There is one more feature in Taurus that is worthy of note. Aldebaran, the brightest star, appears to be in the Hyades but the two are not related. Aldebaran is much closer at 65 light years away.

Now that you’ve found Taurus, take a look at the constellation on a moonless night when it is more prominent in the sky and even prettier.