Elnath

Elnath (Beta Tauri) is the second brightest star in Taurus at magnitude 1.65, located about 134 light-years from Earth. It is a blue-white giant of spectral type B7III, about 4.5 times the mass of the Sun and 700 times more luminous. Elnath marks the tip of the northern horn of Taurus the Bull. It lies very close to the galactic anticenter — the point in the sky directly opposite the center of the Milky Way.

Elnath is shared visually between Taurus and Auriga, sitting at the boundary where the Bull's horn meets the Charioteer's foot. It serves as a useful guide star — the supernova remnant M1 (Crab Nebula) lies about 1 degree to its northwest, and the open clusters of Auriga (M36, M37, M38) are nearby. Its blue-white color is evident to the naked eye. Best observed from November through March.

The name Elnath comes from the Arabic 'al-Natih' meaning 'the butting one,' referring to the tip of the bull's horn. Historically, the star was shared between the constellations Taurus and Auriga and carried the dual designation of Beta Tauri and Gamma Aurigae. In 1930, when the IAU formalized constellation boundaries, it was officially assigned to Taurus.