You will never miss the bright star Aldebaran in the Taurus constellation. Looking at a clear sky you see the phenomenon of the charging bull onto Orion , the hunter. You will notice the remarkable red eye of the bull displaying passion , power and fair-play. Yes. It is the Royal star of Persia, one of the four guardians of cardinal directions with responsibility to protect the eastern segment. The star is a splendid object to watch specially during November when you see fascinating fire showers of a meteor in close proximity to Aldebaran. Let me explain the legend, astronomy and cosmics of this great star.
1. Legend
From ancient time Aldebaran marked the Vernal (spring) equinox. In many cultures it was known as the Eastern Star. For Persians it was not only the Guardian of East but also represented the god Mithra, who personified for many qualities such as wisdom, light, power and glory. But god Mithra demanded un-swerving loyalty, integrity and fair-play. Any temptation of greed & passion would negate all the rewards; instead the punishment turns the table: dishonour, incarceration and possible death in ignominy coming in its wake. In later times Aldebaran was also connected with Eastern religions such as Zoroastrian and Buddhism, Often the star is described as The Buddha’s Eye symbolizing the divine wisdom. For Western religions, Aldebaran stood for the archangel Michael who guarded the East.
Though the name Aldebaran is etymologically from Arabic, the star was called by different names across the globe. Ptolemy called it as “ torch” due to the rose colour light emanating from it. Romans called it “ Palilicium” due to the disappearance of the star into evening twilight when feast of Pales was celebrated. For Persians it was Taschter. In Latin it was “ Occulus Tauri” or the Eye of Taurus. Indian named it “Rohini”, for its fire-red.
The Arabic name Al-Dabaran meaning the “ follower” led to many observers to the conclusion that the star follows either or both Pleiades and Hyades two famous sub-groups located within Taurus constellation. This may be due to Aldebaran being the first star in the V shape group of Hyades consisting of six stars inclusive of it. But in terms of legend it is incorrect, because Taurus the bull is charging against Orion the hunter towards the South-eastern direction. Therefore, Aldebaran is not following the Hyades at all. As regards to following Pleiades it must be pointed out that Pleiades is to the west of Aldebaran. Moreover, the word “ follower “ used by Arabs may be construed to mean the one who follows archangel Michael. Fortunately for us Interesting and convincing evidence comes from Al-Sufi , the 10th Century Arab astronomer who counted Aldebaran completely out of the Hyades group.
Let me explain little bit of Hyades; in mythology Hyades represent the seven daughters of Atlas and Aithra. However, there are only six stars in the V shape formation now; Hesiod the Greek Poet gives only five names of the daughters. Therefore, Al-Sufi is right in taking Aldebaran completely out of the Group of Hyades. Yet another proof is that of gamma Tauri, a star in this group which is called as “Prima Hyadum” or the first of the followers. Hence, we can safely treat Aldebaran as distinct from the group of Hyades. Whatever it may be, Aldebaran stands singularly out of these six stars.
There is some warning; the vacant space between Aldebaran and westwards to Pleiades is full of mines. Al-Biruni initially summoned his courage to call this area ”Al-Daika” or “ growing small”. But later he abandoned his courage and called it as “ Kalb-Al-Dabaran” meaning “the dog of the follower”, a metaphysical expression to indicate that you are treading on an evil path.
2. Astronomy
Aldebaran is astronomically referred to as alpha Tauri, an orange-reddish giant of K5III spectral class. It is a star of first magnitude in brightness generally hovering around 0.85 to 0.9 magnitude range, reflecting its variability. It is located in Right Ascension 4.60 hrs and Declination of 16.45 degree North. It is best seen in November though for about 8 months you can watch it without binoculars. It has three companions; all are red dwarfs smaller than our Sun. Companion B is close by whereas C & D are far away. Its surface temperature is below 4000 Kelvin, much lower than that of our Sun. Due to this cooler temperature, the star gives orange to rose colour light. Aldebaran is some 65 light years away and about 300 times luminous than the Sun with about 2.5 times of the size of the Sun. The star is very close to the Ecliptic. Hence, often is covered or occulted by both luminaries the Sun and the Moon, by the latter much regularly. Sun is pretty close to it in early June whereupon the star loses its brightness completely. Aldebaran is moving away from us at a speed of 30 miles per second.
Aldebaran is in advanced stage of its evolution like our Sun and burns helium into carbon. Astronomers continue to study the star for its solar spectrum and the fact it rotates slowly and wobble in its path. The beauty of Aldebaran is that it is very close to the point where we see the meteor Taurides. The debris of a dead comet by the name of Encke is showered towards earth in high velocity. For us on earth this phenomenon is clear during November 5 to 12. Though this cannot be seen every year due to obstruction by planets , especially by Jupiter, the 2008 shower of the meteor was marvellous indeed.
3. Cosmics
Cosmically Aldebaran means many things to many people. Generally it showers courage, wisdom and light; grants honour, fortune and wealth; takes you to higher sexuality and sensuousness. But negatives are damning: you brush on the wrong side, then the, Royal Star gives you a spank. You always go in a merry –go- round. You succeed in life and there is temptation and then you fall fast. No wonder, the Persians equated it to God Mithra. When you are unscrupulous or tempted your honour turns into dishonour; your courage transforms into violence; your sexuality over-turns to sadistic and hyper-sex.
If Aldebaran is your e birth star, and placed well with the Sun and Moon it is an excellent motivator. It teaches you how to be a disciplined soldier, statesman business leader and a societal man. Its position with other planets also generates positive or negative energy; positive energy makes you a great personality enjoying success with pleasure; negative energy, on the other hand, would end you in prison and lead you to your demise in ignominy.
Symbology equates it as the eastern part of the Cross supported by the Hebrew letter Aleph implying leadership and hard work often signalling peace with resoluteness. In meteorology Aldebaran is everything put together: rain, thunder, lightning and wind. Ancient cultures saw Aldebaran heralding rain as well as spring.
Diamonds are forever with Alderbaran. Women under the influence of the star should choose diamonds sparkling in reddish or rose hues. For men it must be bluish for courage and definitely more zing to their sexual potency.
Muthu Ashraff
Cosmic Adviser
Mobile: +94 777 265677
E-mail: cosmicgems@gmail.com
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