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Pleiades
Pleiades , in astronomy, famous open star cluster in the constellation Taurus; cataloged as M45. The cluster consists of some 500 stars, has a diameter of 35 light-years, and is 400 light-years distant from the earth. Six stars are easily visible to the naked eye—Alcyone (the brightest), Ele...
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Dardanus
Dardanus , in Greek mythology, founder of Troy; son of Zeus and the Pleiad Electra. His descendants, the Trojans, were sometimes called the Dardani.
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Jean Antoine de Baïf
Jean Antoine de Baïf , 1532-89, French poet of the Pléiade (see under Pleiad ). He wrote sonnets, didactic and satirical poems, and plays.
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Maia
Maia . 1 In Greek mythology, oldest of the Pleiades . She was the mother of Hermes by Zeus. 2 In Roman mythology, goddess of fertility; also called Maiesta. She was often identified with Bona Dea . The month of May was probably named for her.
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Electra
Electra , in Greek mythology. 1 Daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra. After her mother and Aegisthus murdered Agamemnon, Electra, eager for revenge, longed only for the return of her brother, Orestes . The reunion and vengeance of the brother and sister were dramatized by the three great traged...
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Aldebaran
Aldebaran , brightest star in the constellation Taurus ; Bayer designation α Tauri; 1992 position R.A. 4 h 35.5 m , Dec. +16°30′. An orange giant star ( spectral class K5 III) with apparent magnitude averaging 0.85, it is one of the 20 brightest stars in the sky. Aldebaran is a vis...
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Joachim Du Bellay
Joachim Du Bellay , 1522?-1560, French poet of the Pléiade (see under Pleiad ). He wrote their manifesto, La Deffence et illustration de la langue francoyse (1549), which urges the study and emulation of the classics and the use of French as the literary language. His poetic works, broadly...
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Taurus
Taurus [Lat.,= the bull], in astronomy, constellation NW of Orion and lying on the ecliptic (the sun's apparent path through the heavens) between Gemini and Aries; it is one of the constellations of the zodiac . Taurus is traditionally depicted as the forepart of a bull, in reference to the Gr...
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Elihu Vedder
Elihu Vedder 1836-1923, American painter, illustrator, and author, b. New York City, studied in Paris. From 1867 his permanent residence was Rome. He often used romantic landscape as a setting for allegorical images. Among his works are The African Sentinel and The Pleiades (Metropolitan Mus.) ...
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Pierre de Ronsard
Pierre de Ronsard , 1524-1585, French poet. As page, then squire, Ronsard seemed destined for a career at court both in France and abroad. However, deafness turned him to a more secluded and studious life at the Collège de Coqueret where he became leader of the Pléiade (see under Plei...
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