Untitled - Tarom

INSIGHT TAROM Prim\var\/Spring 2007 31
Prin]esa se trezi brusc. Inima `i b\tea, dar c‚nd ie[i afar\ cu prietenele
sale, uit\ de vis [i se prinse `n hor\, c‚nt\, culese flori.
- Uita]i-v\, ce animal miraculos! - strig\ bucuroas\ una dintre fete.
Un taur alb ca spuma p\[ea prin poiana `nflorit\, str\lucitor.
- Poart\ dou\ semiluni pe cap! Coarnele-i sunt argintii! - se mirar\ fetele.
Europa porni voioas\ `n `nt‚mpinarea taurului.
- Are ochii ro[ii ca rubinul! {i privirea-i bl‚nd\. Doar c\ nu vorbe[te...
Animalul minunat, cu parfum de ambrozie, `ngenunche `n fa]a
prin]esei.
- Ai vrea s\ m\ iei pe
spatele t\u - zise Europa [i Sculptur\ / Stonework
`mbr\]i[\ g‚tul taurului alb.
- De ce nu - `[i zise, apuc‚ndu-i
coarnele sclipitoare.
Dar `ndat\ ce o sim]i `n
c‚rc\, taurul divin porni `n
grab\ spre ]\rmul nisipos.
Acolo se arunc\ `n mare se
`ndep\rt\ de uscat, mai iute
dec‚t o corabie. Nicio pic\-
tur\ de ap\ nu atingea poalele
prin]esei.
- Vai, dragii mei p\rin]i!
Tat\, m\icu]a mea! pl‚nse
fata. Vai, dragii mei fra]i!
Degeaba m\ ve]i c\uta, nu
ve]i da niciodat\ de
Pleiadele, eclipsate de Lun\
flew with her over the mirror-shinning
sea.
The princess suddenly woke
up. Her heart was pounding, but
when she went out to meet her
friends, she had forgotten about the
dream. She danced, sang and handpicked
flowers.
“Look at that miraculous animal!“
one of the girls said with joy.
A bull, white as the sea foam
and shining, was walking through
the meadow.
“He wears two half-moons on
his head! His horns are shinning like
silver!“ the girls said, surprised.
Europe walked towards the bull.
“His eyes are ruby red! And a
kind look. The only thing is that he
does not talk...“
The wonderful animal, smelling
like ambrosia, kneeled in front
of the princess.
“Would you let me ride on your
back“ Europe said and hugged the
white bull’s neck.
“Why not“ she wondered,
hanging on to his glittering horns.
As soon as he felt her on his back,
the divine bull rapidly ran to the
sandy seashore. Then he jumped
into the sea and left the land
behind, quicker than any ship. Not
one drop of water was touching the
princess’ clothes.
“Oh, my dear parents!
® ®
Pleiades ocultation by the Moon
CONSTELA}IA TAURULUI CUPRINDE MAI MULTE CORPURI CERE{TI
THE TAURUS CONSTELLATION
INCLUDES SEVERAL STARS
∫ Aldebaran (Alfa Tauri), steaua principal\, este o gigant\ ro-
[ie, aflat\ „aproape“ de noi, la 68 ani-lumin\, fiind de 125 mai
str\lucitoare dec‚t Soarele. Denumirea ei provine din araba
veche, `nsemn‚nd „cel care urmeaz\“, fiind steaua ce urmeaz\
Clo[ca cu pui. ~nc\ din vremea per[ilor antici, steaua era
considerat\ mesagerul solsti]iului de prim\var\ (21 martie), iar
astrologii o considerau steaua purt\toare de noroc, ocrotitoarea
bog\]iei [i a cinstei.
∫ Clo[ca cu pui sau Pleiadele - un roi stelar deschis format din
circa 200 de stele. Numai nou\ sunt vizibile cu ochiul liber, `n
mitologia greac\ fiicele lui Atlas [i Pleione: Electra, Maia, Taygeta,
Alkyone, Celaena, Sterope [i Merope. Clo[ca cu pui, aflat\ la 400
ani-lumin\ de noi, are un diametru de numai de 20 de ani-lumin\.
∫ Hyadele formeaz\ un roi stelar mobil de foma unui „V“, la
vest de Aldebaran, av‚nd un nucleu de opt ani-lumin\, care reprezint\
„capul taurului“. Denumirea `nsemna `n greaca veche „ploaie“,
fapt ce explic\ de ce la multe popoare se p\streaz\ p‚n\ azi
denumirea de Constela]ia ploii.
∫ Nebuloasa Crabului, acest spectacol al cerului, se afl\ `n
partea estic\ a constela]iei Taurus, la o distan]\ de 6.300 de
ani-lumin\. Este o nebuloas\ difuz\, luminoas\, o r\m\[i]\ din
explozia supernov\ de pe 5 iulie 1054, care a str\lucit pe cer
timp de trei s\pt\m‚ni - chiar [i `n timpul zilei. Un astronom
chinez a numit-o atunci stea musafir [i `ntr-adev\r a fost doar un
oaspete. Dup\ un timp, a p\lit, apoi a disp\rut de pe cerul vizibil
cu ochiului liber. A l\sat `n urm\ o nebuloas\ - cu forma unui
crab - care, datorit\ str\lucirii slabe, poate fi vizualizat\ numai
prin telescop.
∫ Adelbaran (Alfa Tauri), the main star, is giant and red and is
“close“ to the earth, at 68 light-years, and is 125 times more shining
than the Sun. Its name comes from ancient Arabic and means
“the one who follows“, because it comes after the group of stars
named The Brood-hen with Chicken. Ever since the ancient Persians,
the star was considerer the messenger of the spring equinox
(March 21). Astrologers saw it at a lucky star, protector of wealth
and honesty.
∫ The Brood-hen with Chicken or the Pleiades - an open group
formed of about 200 stars. Only nine of them are visible to the naked
eye. They were named after the daughters of Atlas and Pleione, from
the Greek mythology: Electra, Maia, Taygeta, Alkyone, Celaena,
Sterope and Merope. The Brood-hen with Chicken is situated at 400
light-years from the Earth and has a 20 light-years diameter.
∫ The Hyades are a V-shaped mobile star swarm, west of
Adlebaran. Its nucleus has an eight light-years diameter and it represents
the “bull’s head“. Its name means “rain“ in the ancient
Greek, which explains why many people still name it the Rain
Constellation.
∫The Crab Nebula, a real show of the sky, is on the eastern
side of the Taurus Constellation, 6,300 light-years away. It’s a diffuse
nebula, shiny, a remain of the July 5, 1054 supernova blast
which glittered on the sky for three weeks, even during the day. A
Chinese astronomer had then named it “guest star“, and so it was
indeed, because after a while it became pale and disappeared from
the sky visible with the naked eye. It left behind a crab shaped nebula
which, because of the dim light, can only be seen with the telescope.