Hyades

Winter Hexagon

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winter circle,winter stars

The Winter Hexagon, also known as the Winter Circle, is a prominent winter asterism formed by seven stars prominent in the winter sky.

These are Rigel in Orion, Aldebaran in Taurus, Capella in Auriga, Castor and Pollux in Gemini, Procyon in Canis Minor, and Sirius in Canis Major constellation.

Sirius and Procyon are also part of the Winter Triangle, a smaller asterism that these two stars form with Betelgeuse in Orion.
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Hyades

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open cluster,hyades cluster

The Hyades are a star cluster located in Taurus constellation and the nearest open cluster of stars to the solar system. Also catalogued as Collinder 50 or Melotte 25, the cluster has an apparent magnitude of 0.5 and lies at a distance of 153 light years, or 47 parsecs, from Earth.

The brightest stars in the Hyades cluster form a V shape that marks the head of the celestial bull. The cluster lies along the same line of sight as Aldebaran, the brightest star in Taurus, but the bright giant is not a member of the cluster and lies much closer to Earth.
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Aldebaran

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alpha tauri,hyades,aldebaran star

Aldebaran, Alpha Tauri, also known as the Eye of Taurus, is an orange giant star located at a distance of 65 light years from Earth.

It is the brightest star in Taurus constellation and the 14th brightest star in the night sky. Aldebaran has a luminosity 518 times that of the Sun (153 times in visible light).

The name Aldebaran (pronounced /ælˈdɛbərən/) comes from the Arabic word al-dabarān, meaning “the follower.” The name refers to the Pleiades cluster (Messier 45), which the star appears to be following across the sky.
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